UK Lottery Winner Nearly Broke

May 14, 2004, 6:47 am (15 comments)

UK National Lottery

A former dustman who won a £9.7 million (US$17 million) Lottery jackpot has reportedly spent almost his entire fortune within 18 months on extravagant houses, cars and gold "bling" jewellery.

Michael Carroll, 21, who was recently convicted of cocaine possession, has only £500,000 left, it is claimed.

He has bought four homes, a holiday villa in Spain, two convertible BMW cars, quad bikes and a stake in a football club. Sources close to him claim Carroll has also wasted "untold thousands" on alcohol and partying.

He now faces being penniless within weeks unless he controls his spending.

One source close to him said: "He has haemorrhaged cash - and a lot of it went on drugs and booze at his house. Everybody wanted to be Mickey's mate when he was rich. It'll be interesting to see how many stick around when he hits the buffers soon."

Carroll won the fortune with his first National Lottery ticket and immediately splashed out on friends and family.

He bought two £1million houses - one for his mother Kim and another for his uncle and aunt - and a £200,000 Spanish villa. He then moved into a £400,000 house in Swaffham, Norfolk, and had a £90,000 indoor pool installed.

At the back of the property Carroll set up a racetrack. Friends believe he spent up to £100,000 buying quad bikes and old cars to wreck in demolition derby races.

He has recently put the house on the market and moved to a £300,000 bungalow at nearby Downham Market.

A soccer fan, Carroll invested £1 million in Glasgow Rangers and was rarely seen without gold chains and a ring on every finger.

Since winning the jackpot in November 2002, Carroll has also spent thousands on legal costs and court appearances.

At the time of winning the Lottery, he was wearing an electronic tag for being drunk and disorderly. He also got four months in jail in 2002 for criminal damage, driving while disqualified and aggravated vehicle taking.

In April last year Carroll was caught riding a moped while disqualified, banned from driving for four months and ordered to do community service.

Last summer he was fined £12,000 for claiming dole while working as a dustman before he won the Lottery.

In March he escaped a jail sentence and was given a 12-month drug testing and treatment order for possessing more than £1,000 worth of cocaine.

Carroll claimed he turned to drugs after wife Sandra, 21, walked out taking their 12-month-old daughter Brooke with her last September.

Last month he was fined £1,650 for further motoring offences.

Henry Bellingham, a local Conservative MP, said Carroll's life of excess was a sad waste.

He told the Sun: "Michael Carroll is grossly irresponsible because winning the Lottery isn't just someone's right, it is a massive privilege.

"With that privilege comes responsibility. It is sad, a case of someone using the Lottery to cause misery rather than improve their life."

This is London

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keystonechas

The Jack Whitaker of  the United Kingdom?

Chas

DoctorEw220's avatarDoctorEw220

he deserves it for not knowing the value of a dollar

CASH Only

The British don't use a d

DoctorEw220's avatarDoctorEw220

or the pound.  you know what i mean.  perhaps he should hqave invested his money into an annuity instead of pissing away the lump sum.  that way, he wouldn't be in his situation.

four4me

Who said a fool and his money are soon parted...

How can they say he is allmost broke if he has bought all those things houses, cars, property aren't all considered net worth.  If you have 10 million dollars worth of property and only 2 cents in your pocket your still worth 10 million or more depending on what your willing to accept for your possessions. Should you wish to sell off the property.

keystonechas

The article list this guy as a "former dustman?"  In England,  thats a garbage collector.

Chas

r_billerey

I agree not everythink is dark, better say I believe that the first think that you have to do, when ever you win the lottery is " BYING A NICE HOUSE"  and also a holiday house (my will be in Spain too in MALAGA EN LA COSTA DEL SOL, at lease two cars (3 is better) of course I will need a Yach in Marbela Yachts Club, this is, for me, an INVESTMENT, well here I just spend 6 million bucks. Come down come down now. take easy roger

st.germain's avatarst.germain

I wish I had his "dumb(dumb)luck.

Lurk More N00b's avatarLurk More N00b

Ahhhh, to be young, rich and unconscionably stupid. That's a once in one hundred lifetimes opportunity for personal betterment just pissed away like a six pack of light beer. Drug addiction or not, there is no excuse for that type of behavior. I know there are  millions of people who would have given their left nut to have won a life changing amount of money like that. I'm one of them. Someone needs to step in and b!tch slap that boy into shape before he pisses away the properties too. Hopefully his parents and aunt and uncle were smart enough to demand the titles in their names. He WILL squander the rest of it, given the chance. I'd bet a jackpot winning lottery ticket on it.

P.S. Not Jack Whittaker at all. This guy makes Jack look like a pillar of his community.

Irvin's avatarIrvin

This guy has proved the theory "Easy come easy go"



Like they say if you win big just go out and waste about 10% of your winnings spend up large get it out of your system then set yourself for retirement.



If I won around $10mill I would invest $9Mill and go out and waste the other $1mill travelling around the world.



By the time I get back my investment would probably be back upto to $10 Million.

MichiganHopeful's avatarMichiganHopeful

simply an idiot and way to young to know what to do with that kind of money.

tg636

In the end yes he's an idiot, but easy come easy go. When he does hit the bottom and comes looking for a handout, will anyone be even more idiotic and help him out after he blew $17 million?  I would hope not. I don't think age has anything to do with idiocy like this.  You would think even the most primitive thought process would realize you will never, ever get your hands on any amount of money even near this if you play the lottery for for 50 more years.

hypersoniq's avatarhypersoniq

has only £500,000 left?... that's $879,461 ... how is that broke? not to mention real estate...

The guy is still an idiot, for doing the drugs... but it's not really a bleak and dismal existence (yet)

perhaps he should stop getting all the fines... I'm sure the local police are enjoying the tons of extra revenue tho.

megamillionaire's avatarmegamillionaire

Shades of that Curtis "One Million Bucks" guy with the Derby hats who came to get his money with his wife and girlfriend. He went broke, his annuity ran out, and he's still working.

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