Lotto win makes man forget wife's birthday

SCOTLAND'S newest Lotto millionaire was forgiven by his wife yesterday after the shock of his win caused him to forget her birthday.

Robert McIntosh admitted he had failed to buy his wife, Susan, a present, despite landing more than 4.4 million. However, she hinted that he might make amends by buying a new car.

The couple, from the Aberdeenshire village of Alford, forgot to check their ticket until 24 hours after the draw, only to find they had scooped the jackpot.

They have said they intend to use the windfall to pursue their hobby of showing Akita dogs and to help their three daughters, Kristine, 17, Rachel, 15, and Andrea, nine.

Mr McIntosh, 46, who works as a production manager for Wireline, an engineering firm which supplies the oil industry, said: "I kept staring at them (the numbers on the TV] and then at the ticket, I ended up on my knees right in front of the TV just getting closer and closer to the screen."

Mrs McIntosh, 47, added: "We then just spent ages, checking and rechecking the numbers, with each of us saying it wasn't us and not daring to believe that the whole amount was ours."

Their winning ticket, which netted them 4,460,495, was a Lucky Dip.

Mr McIntosh has yet to decide whether he will give up his job, but the couple plan to upgrade to a bigger property and treat themselves to a holiday in Florida.