Court-miss lottery winner jailed

Chip shop worker Leah Sumray celebrates her win last year

A £1m scratchcard-winning chip shop worker from Cornwall has been jailed for 14 days after she went on holiday instead of giving evidence in court.

Leah Sumray, 21, ignored a witness summons and went to the Canary Islands instead of Truro Crown Court.

Sumray, from St Ives, was to testify in the trial of a man on assault charges.

She was arrested at Bristol Airport when she returned from Fuerteventura and jailed for contempt of court. She was also ordered to pay £200 costs.

Immediate sentence

Judge Christopher Elwen told her "this was a flagrant and wilful contempt of court for which there was no excuse whatsoever".

He told Sumray such contempt could only be dealt with in one way, and imposed an immediate sentence of imprisonment.

She was watched from the back of the court by her father Matthew, 50, and mother Dawn, 48.

To ensure the proper administration of justice it must be made quite clear no one must disobey an order of the court Judge Christopher Elwen

She had been due to give evidence for the prosecution in the trial of a man on assault charges, which went ahead without her evidence. The judge said her evidence could have had a significant bearing on the outcome of the case.

At the conclusion of the trial, the prosecution applied for a warrant. She was arrested on Wednesday.

Jeremy Leeming, defending, said Sumray apologised to the court, but her reason for non-attendance was not to take a foreign holiday but her concern about repercussions if she gave evidence against the defendant in the trial.

However, the judge said there had been no direct threats or positive intimidation by the defendant.

He told Sumray: "To ensure the proper administration of justice it must be made quite clear no one must disobey an order of the court."

Sumray was working in the Dolphin Fish and Chip Bar in St Ives, earning £4.60 an hour, at the time of her National Lottery win in October last year.