Alexandra Lotto winner dead after downward spiral into drugs
The former boss of an Alexandra plumber who died after squandering a life-changing multimillion Lotto win on drugs remembers the man as having a ''bright future'' until he won the money.
Josh Winslet — known for bagging a $22million Lotto win in 2017 while working in Alexandra — died in his South Australian home from health complications from excessive drug use, the Daily Mail Australia reported.
His death came mere months after he was sentenced in the Adelaide District Court to three years and nine months' jail with a non-parole period of 18 months in 2022 after pleading guilty to supplying MDMA and possessing a firearm without a licence.
The sentence was suspended on a two-year good behaviour bond, allowing Winslet time to show he had changed his ways.
However, months later, he was dead, it was revealed this week.
Mr Winslet had been working for McLellan's Plumbing & Heating in Alexandra for a couple of weeks when he won the Lotto ticket.
His former employer, Rory McLellan, said that he remembered Mr Winslet as being a ''nice-natured young guy''.
''He had a bright future ahead of him until he won that money,'' he said.
Once Mr Winslet won the money, Mr McLellan, an experienced businessman, attempted to assist the younger man by putting him in touch with business and financial advisers.
However, he ''never saw him again'' after he won the money.
In 2017, Mr Winslet spent his last $19 on a Lotto ticket — that ticket was a winner and Mr Winslet was an instant multimillionaire.
The win was confirmed on a Thursday, and Mr Winslet initially said he would be back at work on Monday.
Mr McLellan told him not to be silly.
''I said, 'there's always a job here for you but I could imagine you not wanting to come to work when it sinks in.'''
Mr Winslet bought investment properties in New Zealand and South Australia, and some of his funds were put into a trust set up by his parents.
However, he still had enough of his fortune to allow him to quit working as a plumber and bankroll a ''hopeless'' drug addiction.
In August 2020, police found Mr Winslet in possession of 2.27g of cocaine and found nearly 30g of MDMA at his Adelaide property during a raid.
In a compartment in the bathroom was a Mauser handgun and ammunition.
During sentencing in September 2022, Judge Heath Barklay said because of the money that Mr Winslet had won, ''there was no motivation on your part to work or do anything other than enjoy'' himself.
He was treated as a ''free ride'' by many, Judge Barklay said at the time.
''Although winning the Powerball was incredibly positive in many ways, the down side ... is that you lost motivation in life and contented yourself with living a hedonistic lifestyle punctuated by drug use,'' the judge said.
Mr Winslet had battled two rare conditions since birth, and had a ''miserable childhood'', which included being bullied throughout school because of his ''physical deformities'', the Daily Mail reported.
He underwent many operations to treat Duane syndrome and Goldenhar syndrome — both rare congenital conditions.
laine.priestley@odt.co.nz
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