Wayne Sullivan, 38, was caught three days after raiding a shop when he claimed a €5,000 prize three days later, the Irish Independent reports.

He used a plastic gun, described as looking like a “child’s toy”, to rob the shop of scratch cards and a small amount of cash.

Mr Sullivan was successful in claiming the €5,000, but gardaí subsequently traced the winning card and found he had written his name and address on the back.

A garda told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he “wouldn’t rate Sullivan high on the list of criminal intelligentsia”.

Mr Sullivan was jailed for 18 months with the final year suspended.