Inside £13MILLION lottery winner’s descent into drugs and booze as pics show trashed mansion & mystery powder in fridge | The Sun

A PLUMBER who scooped £13million on the Lotto squandered his fortune after falling into a destructive spiral of drink and drugs.

Joshua Winslet was just 22 when he won the Powerball jackpot in 2017 and ditched his job as a tradie to enjoy a life of debauchery.




The stinking rich Australian frittered away his millions in just three years, despite his parents managing his winnings through a trust fund.

He managed to access enough cash to fund his "hedonistic" lifestyle which saw him become "hopelessly addicted" to drugs.

Shocking images released by SA's District Court from inside his trashed New Port mansion provide a concerning insight into his self-indulgence.

Empty bottles of booze, bongs, and bags of MDMA, cocaine and marijuana littered the bachelor pad, The Advertiser reported.

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The home was left in an "appalling" state, with nitrous oxide canisters, cigarettes and half-drunk glasses of wine seen strewn across a marble table.

A mystery white powder in a large bowl was found inside his fridge, alongside a pack of Red Bull cans and beer boxes.

Another image shows a chaotic jumble of rubbish and clothes dumped on the floor, next to an electronic drum kit and sprawling projector screen.

Winslet also kept a framed congratulations from Powerball showing his winning entry hung up on a wall.

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Police raided the "party house" in 2020 and found an unlicensed firearm Mauser handgun and ammunition hidden in his bathroom.

A horde of illegal substances, including 28.3 grams of MDMA and 2.27g of cocaine, were also seized.

Cops had received a tip-off the lottery winner was manufacturing drugs at the property after he became notorious among drug users who saw him as a "free ride".

Winslet, now 27, pleaded guilty to supplying MDMA and possessing a firearm without a licence.

The Adelaide District Court heard how his life began to unravel soon after he won his millions.

The former plumber quit his job before snapping up properties in South Australia and New Zealand.

Judge Heath Barklay said Winslet then "lost motivation" for life and adopted a "hedonistic lifestyle", slipping into regular drug use.

He said: "Because of the money that you had won, there was no motivation on your part to work or do anything other than enjoy yourself.

'WAKE UP CALL'

"You had lots of money so you could afford to buy large amounts of drugs, which you would use yourself and supply to your so-called friends from time to time."

His party pals would "run amok" in his home, with one friend even storing a firearm and bullets in the roof.

The judge said the proximity of the firearm to regular drug usersvastly increased the chances it could be used for "an unlawful purpose."

The court also heard how Winslet underwent a string of surgeries as a child to treat Duane syndrome and Goldenhar syndrome.

Duane syndrome occurs when the eye muscles do not develop properly, which results in difficulties rolling one or both eyes outward or inward.

Goldenhar syndrome causes abnormalities in the formation of the bones in the face and head, which can lead to facial asymmetry, a partially-formed or absent ear, benign cysts on the eye, spinal issues, and can impact internal organs.

Winslet was born with a singular horseshoe-shaped kidney and an irregular heartbeat, stopping him from playing contact sports.

To try and correct his physical abnormalities, he underwent plastic surgery after being bullied during his time at school.

The court heard how the now 27-year-old's arrest served as "a wake up call".

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Winslet was sentenced to three years and nine months, with a non-parole period of 18 months.

The sentence was suspended on a two-year good behaviour bond, with supervision.






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