A couple who won a £3million Omaze dream home sold off the property and bought their unemployed son a house – that they are now trying to evict him from for not paying them any rent.
A bitter courtroom battle, which pits Rose and Tony Doyle against her son Brian Cassidy, centres on a semi-detached home in Birmingham which the couple bought following their life-changing raffle win.
Mrs Doyle, 74, a former school dinner lady, bought the winning £25 ticket and scooped a £3.1million luxury Cornish home in April 2024.
Celebrating at the time, the grandmother-of-four said the windfall would make a huge difference to her family, ‘especially the children’, while her husband added: ‘Hopefully we can add a ladder to them and help them step up so the family is going to be looked after.’
The couple, who also scooped a £100,000 cash prize with Omaze, later sold the Cornwall mansion and began investing in property in the West Midlands.
In December last year, they paid £205,000 for a semi-detached house on a cul-de-sac on the outskirts of Birmingham, where Mr Cassidy, 51, moved in immediately with his partner.
‘It meant a lot to me,’ Mr Cassidy said. ‘After being in unstable accommodation for some time, it was a welcome chance of stability for myself and my partner.’
But court documents show the couple now claim Mr Cassidy owes them £4,800 in unpaid rent and are seeking possession of the house.
Dinner lady Rose Doyle and her husband won a £3m Omaze dream home and sold the property
The couple bought their son Brian Cassidy (pictured) a semi-detached home in Birmingham with the proceeds from the sale of their life-changing prize raffle property
When Rose won the sprwaling luxury home situated in the Cornish countryside she said it would make a huge difference to her and ‘especially her children’
At the time of her big win Rose said the new house ‘is absolutely gorgeous’ and she will ‘never get bored of walking onto the balcony and taking in these stunning views’
Papers filed at Birmingham County Court allege he paid his mother and stepfather £600 in January this year, but then made no further payments.
In a defence filed with the court, Mr Cassidy insists the property was gifted to him by his mother and that there was never any rental agreement.
The court case was adjourned to allow the Doyles to respond to Mr Cassidy’s claims.
A final hearing will be held in February – complicated by the fact that Mr Doyle is currently in prison after being convicted of child sex offences.
The retired gas fitter, 67, was jailed for six years and three months in October after committing ten sexual offences against young girls.
His victims, aged between seven and 12 years of age, were abused over a 13-year period.
District Judge Natalie Bradshaw said that Mr Doyle could appear in court over a video link from prison.
She said: ‘It seems to me that due to the nature of the allegations being raised, this is not going to be a final hearing.’
Speaking following the 15-minute hearing, Mrs Doyle confirmed she was now divorcing her husband of 47 years.
A family friend who had accompanied Mrs Doyle to the hearing said: ‘The fact is that the property is in both of their names so he [Mr Doyle] has a right to attend the hearing.
‘It wasn’t a gift. It was bought as a rental property.’
Mr Cassidy described Mr Doyle as a ‘very manipulative man’ and claimed he was told to ‘claim housing benefit and then pay it to him’.
But a short time later Rose and Tony sold the property and invested in a number of more modest homes to rent out – including one in Birmingham for their son Brian (pictured)
Mrs Doyle bought the winning £25 ticket and scooped a £3.1million luxury home in April 2024
Mr and Mrs Doyle who had been together for 46 years, previously lived in this same three-bedroom house in Birmingham for 44 years. Now the couple are said to be divorcing
When he was sentenced, Judge Peter Carr told him: ‘Your victims will have to live with the effects of what you have done to them for far longer than this court will be able to sentence you to.’
Police also discovered 179 indecent pictures and 137 indecent videos when Mr Doyle was arrested in April.
Omaze is a fundraising platform which gives people the chance to win luxury prizes – such as multi-million-pound homes, cars, or once-in-a-lifetime experiences – while raising money for charities.
Its popular Million Pound House Draws have seen winners bag luxurious homes in places like Cornwall, the Cotswolds, Devon, and London, with ticket bundles starting from £10.
The Doyles won a beachfront five-bedroomed mansion in the village of St Agnes, in north Cornwall.
It is unclear when they sold the cedar-clad retreat but they used proceeds from its sale to purchase fund two properties in Birmingham for Mrs Doyle’s granddaughter and Mr Doyle’s niece.
In December last year, the Doyles paid £205,000 for a semi-detached house on a cul-de-sac on the outskirts of Birmingham, where Mr Cassidy, 51, moved in immediately with his partner. Mr Cassidy insists it was gifted to him by his mum and that there was never a rental agreement
Speaking after the win, Mrs Doyle said: ‘When they confirmed the prize I was an emotional wreck!
‘This win is life-changing for us – it’s fantastic for our family’s future – they won’t have to struggle as much as we had to.
‘We thought maybe it was a little holiday to Cornwall or a few hundred pounds – we didn’t think for one minute that we’d won a £3 million pound house there – things like this just don’t happen to people like us.’
When speaking about their plans with the prize, Mrs Doyle added: ‘I’m not sure what we’re going to do long term yet – we’ll definitely enjoy it as a family for a bit – whatever we decide to do, it’s going to change all our lives for the better – it’s a true miracle.’
