After winning an astounding $22 million lottery prize, a young tradesman’s life swiftly spiralled out of control.
He used the money to support his drug-fueled party lifestyle, and police images of the property showed the extent of the depravity.
Last Monday, 27-year-old Joshua Winslet was given a three-year, nine-month sentence with an 18-month non-parole period; however, the prison term was suspended on a two-year good behaviour bond with monitoring.
After a police search at this New Port property in Adelaide turned up 2.27g of cocaine, 27.3g of MDMA, and a revolver with ammo in a manhole in the bathroom, the Powerball winner pled guilty to distributing MDMA and having a weapon without a licence.
Judge Heath Barklay of Adelaide District Court said that the former plumber had become “hopelessly drug addicted” and began associating with the “wrong set” at the time of the offence.
During sentence, Judge Barklay reportedly remarked, “You stopped working and over time, you slid into regular drug usage,” according to the Adelaide Advertiser.
“There was no incentive on your side to work or do anything other than enjoy yourself because of the money that you had won.”
He said Winslet’s newly discovered fortune had been used to support drug usage among people who visited his home parties, with one of his “so-called pals” bringing a prohibited pistol and ammo to keep in his roof.
Embarrassing inside images reveal a dish of white powder inside a mostly empty refrigerator.
Winslet’s winning lottery ticket is up on one of the walls, but in other rooms, filthy dishes, cans, and empty bottles are all over the place.
According to Winslet’s attorney David Edwardson QC, the property was in “appalling” condition since its residents had been using it as a “party house” at the time.
Mr. Edwardson added that although his client’s millions were being maintained by his parents in a trust account, Winslet had used a part of them to purchase real estate in South Australia and New Zealand.
Mr. Edwardson said that after realising that he might face punishment for his acts, his client had had a “wake-up call.”
The 27-year-old became comfortable with “living a hedonistic lifestyle punctuated by drug usage,” according to Judge Barklay, thanks to his newfound income.
He warned Winslet against keeping the gun since doing so would make it more likely that someone would use it for a “illegal purpose.”