BORED £9M LOTTO WINNER DRINKS HIMSELF TO DEATH
Keith Gough, seen here with his wife when he won the jackpot
Tuesday October 26,2010
By Jane MatthewsA £9MILLION lottery winner became so bored after giving up his job that he ended up drinking himself to death.
Keith Gough, 58, was thought to be penniless when he died in March from a heart attack brought on by stress and drinking.
He had blown a fortune on gambling and was duped out of more than £700,000 by a con artist.
But it has now emerged the former baker left almost £800,000 in his will – five years after his jackpot success.
Before his death, the father of two, from Bridgnorth, Shropshire, claimed the lottery win had “ruined†his life and urged others not to buy a ticket.
After scooping the jackpot in 2005, Mr Gough and his wife of 27 years, Louise, splashed out on a BMW, racehorses and a box at Aston Villa FC.
But his marriage ended in 2007 when he began drinking out of boredom.
Mr Gough checked into the Priory clinic in Birmingham in a bid to beat his alcohol addiction. But it was here that he met conman James Prince, who duped him into investing hundreds of thousands in bogus businesses. Prince, 37, was jailed for three years and four months at Chester Crown Court in June last year, after admitting fraud and money laundering.
Probate records have revealed Mr Gough left an estate of £1,286,820, reduced after liabilities to £783,802.
He admitted in an interview: “Without routine in my life, I started to spend, spend, spend. I was just bored.
“Before the win, all I’d drink was wine with a meal. I used to be popular but I’ve driven away my friends. When I see people going in to a newsagent, I advise them not to buy lottery tickets.â€
Several other winners have claimed their jackpots destroyed their lives.
Michael Carroll, 27, admitted that he was “glad it’s over†after blowing his £9.7million win in 2002 on gambling, drugs and prostitutes. He must have wasted the rest?
Callie Rogers, who won £2million aged 16 in 2003, tried to kill herself after wasting her cash on cocaine, saying: “I honetly wish I’d never won.â€
Keith Gough, seen here with his wife when he won the jackpot
Tuesday October 26,2010
By Jane MatthewsA £9MILLION lottery winner became so bored after giving up his job that he ended up drinking himself to death.
Keith Gough, 58, was thought to be penniless when he died in March from a heart attack brought on by stress and drinking.
He had blown a fortune on gambling and was duped out of more than £700,000 by a con artist.
But it has now emerged the former baker left almost £800,000 in his will – five years after his jackpot success.
Before his death, the father of two, from Bridgnorth, Shropshire, claimed the lottery win had “ruined†his life and urged others not to buy a ticket.
After scooping the jackpot in 2005, Mr Gough and his wife of 27 years, Louise, splashed out on a BMW, racehorses and a box at Aston Villa FC.
But his marriage ended in 2007 when he began drinking out of boredom.
Mr Gough checked into the Priory clinic in Birmingham in a bid to beat his alcohol addiction. But it was here that he met conman James Prince, who duped him into investing hundreds of thousands in bogus businesses. Prince, 37, was jailed for three years and four months at Chester Crown Court in June last year, after admitting fraud and money laundering.
Probate records have revealed Mr Gough left an estate of £1,286,820, reduced after liabilities to £783,802.
He admitted in an interview: “Without routine in my life, I started to spend, spend, spend. I was just bored.
“Before the win, all I’d drink was wine with a meal. I used to be popular but I’ve driven away my friends. When I see people going in to a newsagent, I advise them not to buy lottery tickets.â€
Several other winners have claimed their jackpots destroyed their lives.
Michael Carroll, 27, admitted that he was “glad it’s over†after blowing his £9.7million win in 2002 on gambling, drugs and prostitutes. He must have wasted the rest?
Callie Rogers, who won £2million aged 16 in 2003, tried to kill herself after wasting her cash on cocaine, saying: “I honetly wish I’d never won.â€
