Lottery luck turns sour: Australian man’s jackpot leads to jailhouse jackpot
Winning the lottery is a prospect that most people dream about but for one Australian man, it caused his life to spiral out of control to such an extent that he ended up in prison after scooping a lottery windfall.
In 2017, Joshua John Winslet, then a 20 year old man, won approximately 350 million baht (US$9,950,000) after buying a lottery ticket for the Powerball, reported New York Post. Once becoming a multimillionaire, he promptly resigned from his plumbing job to lead the luxurious lifestyle of his dreams. However, his lavish dream was short-lived and within just three years his dream lifestyle turned into a nightmare.
In August 2020, police raided his house following a tip-off from the public. Their search turned up an unnerving amount of discarded cans and bottles strewn across his property. Officers also found and confiscated 2.27 grams of cocaine and 23.9 grams of ecstasy, as well as an unlicensed handgun and bullets. Winslet confessed to the judge on two charges, possession of illegal drugs and firearms.
The presiding judge was convinced that Winslet’s life had spiralled out of control after his lottery win, loss and heading in the wrong direction. The judge reprimanded him.
“You gave in to drug addiction, leading a purposeless life and surrounded yourself with the wrong crowd because you had an ample amount of money. As a result, you could afford to buy huge quantities of drugs for personal consumption and occasionally share them with your friends. One such friend smuggled an unregistered firearm and bullets into your house. Consequently, you ended up storing illegal commodities under your roof.”
Eventually, the judge concluded that Winslet was found guilty on seven charges. The sentence handed down to him was three years and nine months in prison, although he may qualify for parole. Post this ordeal, he resolutely embarked on drug rehabilitation and plans to recuperate at a rehabilitation centre for drug addiction upon his release.
In related lottery news, we’ve all had days with ups and downs, but arguably not as much as this man who won the lottery and then encountered a fatal accident. Read more HERE.
