Posted by Scandalous on May 21, 2003 at 10:08:09:

Stuff the Lotto of you



By PHILIP CARDY

A GARAGE boss has shut down his firm and put 15 workers on the dole — weeks after his dad won the Lotto and gave him £1million.

Lucky Alan Frazer, 35, said nothing to workers about winding up the company after his windfall last month.

The first they knew was when he failed to turn up on Monday — then liquidators arrived to change the locks and give them the sack.

Panel beater Lee Macleod, 25, said: “I’m so annoyed. Alan didn’t come and tell us himself.

“We all put in the hours and worked ourselves to death for him.

“I’ve got a fiancée and a mortgage and now I’ve got to sign on.”

Alan struck lucky after his long-lost dad Bob, 58, won a £14.2million Lotto Extra jackpot on April 19.

Cabbie Bob, of Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, issued a plea to trace his son who he lost touch with 13 years ago. The Sun found Alan, who lives with fiancée Deborah Bolton, 36, in Endon, Staffs, and reunited the pair.

Alan carried on as normal at A F Motor Bodies, in Macclesfield, Cheshire, which he bought nine months ago.

Staff were thrilled for him. Garage foreman Roger Cullen said at the time: “He is a good boss. He’s a generous man and will see us all right.”

But on Monday Alan did not turn up and they could not get him on his mobile or home phone. Then finally the liquidators arrived. Yesterday there was a line of customers’ cars still waiting to be fixed. Staff were allowed back in to get their tools and redundancy forms.

Lee, who worked for the firm for three years, said: “Alan had just been himself since getting the money — he’s a mint guy.

“Then the liquidators arrived and said the company had been signed over to them.”

Lee went round to Alan’s house to find out what was going on.

He said: “His girlfriend’s dad was there. He just said Alan was gutted. I don’t think Alan is living there any more.”

Garage receptionist Julie Durrant, 29, added: “Alan didn’t say a thing to us. He’s still been coming in as normal and speaking about the plans he had for the place. He told us everything would be all right and he even employed a couple more people.

“I worked there for four years and now all of a sudden I’m unemployed.

“I was offered another job a couple of weeks ago but he told me to stay and said the company was secure. I didn’t think he was capable of this.”

Steven Clark, of liquidators Ratcliffe & Co, said: “I met with Mr Frazer away from the office because he insisted on that.

“A decision was made to put the company into liquidation and I was appointed liquidator by the shareholders — he’s the only shareholder.

“I arrived at the premises late afternoon. I gained access and I dismissed all the employees.

“My prime concern now is all the cars owned by members of the public which are in various stages of repair.”

The Sun tried to contact Alan at his home but there was no answer.

There was also no reply from his mobile phone.

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