- Joshua John Winslet, now 27, pleaded guilty to supplying ecstasy and possessing a firearm without a license, and was sentenced to three years and nine months in jail.
A 22-year-old who won $22 million in the New Zealand Powerball squandered much of the money on drugs and was even sentenced to jail for his criminal moves.
In 2017, Joshua John Winslet won the lottery jackpot in that country , and it took him three years to turn his life into a spiral of debauchery, drugs and crime .
Authorities in New Port, Adelaide conducted a search at Winslet’s home in August 2020 . There they seized 27.3 grams of ecstasy (MDMA), part of which was in a container in the refrigerator. Additionally, agents seized 2.27 grams of cocaine along with a Mauser rifle , as well as ammunition in the bathroom.
Winslet, now 27, pleaded guilty to supplying ecstasy and possessing a firearm without a license , and was sentenced to three years and nine months in jail.
For good behavior, the time in prison was suspended, so he must serve two years in the free community under supervision.
During the sentence, Judge Heath Barklay described how the addict supplied his friends with drugs, and allowed them to destroy the house in which he lived and turn it into a kind of drug laboratory.
As Barklay pointed out, Winslet had to battle bullying from a young age due to two incurable conditions she suffers from : Duane syndrome and Goldenhar syndrome.
The first refers to congenital strabismus due to insufficient development of the eye muscles.
While the second, also congenital, manifests as abnormalities in the eye, ears, on one or both sides of the face and spine, among other parts of the body.
The convict underwent several surgeries to try to correct his deformities .
“As a result of your physical deformities, you were the center of bullying during your time at school,” said the judge quoted by the Daily Mail.
The harassment led the then minor to drop out of school in the 10th grade.
The Powerball money he won was placed in a fund managed by his parents . He used a sizeable portion of the money to purchase multiple properties in South Australia and New Zealand. However, his drug addiction led him to lose much of his income.