Cheryl Skeete, a fish vendor of Eastville Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara was on Saturday evening robbed by four armed bandits operating out of Buxton.

She told Stabroek News on Sunday that following her win the lottery company carried her photograph in an advertisement which appeared in the newspapers and on television. Skeete told Stabroek News on Sunday that she was particularly displeased with the advertisement given the current crime situation in the country. She also said she had approached the lottery company beforehand requesting that her photograph and other details not be published but this was not heeded.

However, in a telephone interview with this newspaper yesterday, General Manager of the Lottery Company, Tracey Lewis said Skeete had consented to her name and photograph being published in the press. The GM noted that following her win Skeete visited the company's office and underwent the necessary verification exercise after which she was interviewed by a staff member of the company.

Lewis said at this point Skeete was asked whether she had any problem with her name and photograph being printed in the press and she answered in the negative.

According to Lewis, on the morning of the presentation Skeete did not only speak with lotto staff but also members of the press who were there to cover the ceremony.

"So for her to say now that we went ahead and published her name after a request for this not to happen is not true."

Lewis added that notwithstanding the company's policy of publishing details of all winners, consideration was usually given to persons who made requests to remain anonymous.

She told this newspaper that at the height of the crime wave last year a woman had won a large sum of money and requested that there be no publication and this was heeded. Lewis said in that case the company held a closed-door presentation inviting the auditors, a member of the Guyana Press Association and other officials.

She said if Skeete had indeed made the request the company would have looked into it.

The General Manager however expressed her company's sympathy to Skeete and her family, noting that it is distressing to the company to hear that one of its winners has suffered in this manner.

She also noted that Skeete was no stranger to the company as she had won other prizes before.

Skeete, a mother of six and a fish vendor of Stabroek Market won $37M in the jackpot.

She had told this newspaper that on the evening of the robbery, the bandits demanded that she hand over the lotto money.

They also chopped her husband several times on his hand and beat her nephew before racing out of the yard. Up to yesterday the police had not arrested anyone even though on Sunday a man was briefly detained.