Painter and decorator who won the lottery thrown out of pub

Willie Sibbald

A painter and decorator who won the lottery has found out that money can’t buy him everything.

Willie Sibbald last week won £7 million in the national lottery, but was still turned away from a pub that he had previously been thrown out of for drunken behaviour.

The 48-year-old from Edinburgh went to The Grapes pub to celebrate his win on Friday night, but staff refused to serve him.

The manager of the pub, Gordon Turnball, said: “I wasn’t working but I heard from staff he popped his head in to say hello to his mates.

“He’d had a fair bit to drink already and he knew not to get served.

“He misbehaved in the past but he’s never been violent or anything like that. The Grapes isn’t a regular haunt of his, he comes in from time to time.

“I’d happily let him in and serve him if he behaved properly just like anyone else.”

As Two Little Fleas reported last week, Mr Sibbald split the money with his best friend to “see him right”.

The two friends had bought two tickets each every week for several years.

“We used to say ‘Imagine it was us, what would you do?’ But you never expect it,” he said.

Mr Sibbald said: “We used to say ‘Imagine it was us, what would you do?’ But you never expect it.

“It’s one of those things you say. You’re sitting there eating your piece and you’d say ‘Rab, imagine if we won this, you’d never need to work again.’ But you never really think it’s going to happen.”

The two men are avid followers on the Scottish national football team, and are excited to start travelling for away matches.

Mr Layden, 57, also from Edinburgh, was at work painting a kitchen when he received the call from his pal announcing the lottery win.

The two men, who decorated both houses and commercial properties, then met up, before deciding to tell their bosses that they would not be returning to work.

Mr Layden said: “He phoned me at 1.45pm and said ‘By the way I’ve got something to tell you, are you sitting down? I’m the guy that won the lottery’ – and I about collapsed.

“I then met him at the yard and told the bosses at 2.40pm and retired five minutes later. Then we went for a pint.

“The trust and the loyalty is there, there was never any doubt about it. Truth and honesty always comes to the fore.”

After retiring, Mr Sibbald says that he wants to learn how to drive and buy a Rolls-Royce.

“It’s been such a whirlwind I’ve not had time to really think about what I will do with the money but I will probably learn to drive and get myself a car,” he said.