Fresh twist in family’s ugly battle over $1million lottery win as father and daughter head back to court

There has been a shocking new twist in the case of a Queensland family who were torn apart after their elderly father won almost $1 million on the lottery.

William Bampton, 92, won $986,212.30 on the Tattslotto Golden Casket in March 2018 and split it with his son, but left his daughter out of the winnings.

The Sunshine Coast man later gave his daughter Suzanne Elaine Vourlides $300,000 but he then took her to court to demand its return and she had to prove she had not bullied him into giving it to her.

Mr Bampton is now appealing the court’s decision, but in a judgment published on Thursday, Ms Vourlides asked the court to order her father to pay $50,000 in security costs for his appeal.

The money would ensure Mr Bampton could pay his Gold Coast-based daughter’s legal costs at the end of the appeal. Courier mail reported.

When he initially won the prize, Mr. Bampton put down a $50,000 down payment on a new home for his son, Larry, 66, less than two weeks later.

The following week he paid the remaining $505,000 for the four-bedroom house in Mountain Creek, on the Sunshine Coast, to co-own the house with his son.

But Larry Bampton said his father no longer talks to him.

In the previous case, the Queensland District Court heard Mr Bampton refused to share his winnings with Ms Vourlides, 69, because he did not want her husband, Jim, to get anything.

Even in his will, Mr Bampton refused to grant her access to any part of his money while her husband was alive.

But after an angry confrontation, he later relented and in August 2018 gave his daughter a check for $300,000.

However, three years later Mr Bampton claimed he had given her the money under duress and demanded he return the money.

The case was dismissed out of court last December after Judge Suzanne Sheridan said Mr Bampton – described by the court as ‘strong-willed’ – was incapable of being bullied by his daughter.

In her 39 pages of findings, Ms Sheridan rejected all claims of dementia for Mr Bampton and all allegations that Ms Vourlides had exerted undue influence over her father.

“It is difficult to imagine anyone telling Mr Bampton what to do, or anyone controlling his mind to such an extent that he is prevented from exercising his free will,” she said.

The new documents, released on March 28, state that Mr Bampton challenged the judge’s decision to dismiss his claim, alleging in part that she did not approach the situation from Mr Bampton’s perspective as someone who was ‘harmfully’ affected.

Mr Bampton has also pledged not to reduce or dispose of his assets.

William Bampton won $986,212.30 on the Tattslotto Golden Casket in March 2018 and put down a $50,000 deposit on a new house for his son Larry less than two weeks later. Lotto options are shown

Mr Bampton paid the remaining $505,000 for a four-bedroom house in Mountain Creek, on the Sunshine Coast (pictured), to own jointly with his son

The argument is said to have destroyed the family.

“No one wins from this, it just destroys everyone in the family,” Larry Bampton said at the time of the original case.

“The worst thing that ever happened is he won the million dollars. One of the tragic lotto stories, I think.’

Ms Vourlides added: ‘Eventually I got over it, to be honest it has destroyed people’s lives. It’s all terrible.’