Biggles of 266
1st Level Red Feather
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2001
- Messages
- 1,126
- Points
- 36
Teenage jailbird hits jackpot
November 6 2002
A teenage repeat offender, wearing an electronic tag because of a court-imposed curfew, has won £9.7 million ($A27 million) in Britain's National Lottery.
"Don't tell me God doesn't have a sense of humour," observed one police officer on Monday as 19-year-old Michael Carroll, from Downham Market, Norfolk, appeared at a press conference to celebrate his £ jackpot.
Carroll was released in May after serving two months of a four-month prison sentence for offences that included breaking the window of a school bus. He was unable to celebrate his win at a pub because of the curfew, imposed a fortnight ago for being drunk and disorderly.
He will also have to postpone buying a car with his new-found wealth - secured by the first lottery ticket he had ever bought - because he is disqualified from driving until January.
Carroll, who bought his "lucky dip" ticket on Saturday while shopping with his pregnant girlfriend, admitted at the Camelot lottery press conference he had been in court "countless times".
With a Glasgow Rangers tattoo on one side of his neck and a Mandarin script for "evil" on the other, he said: "I was like any normal teenager and made a few mistakes. But that's all changed now. It won't happen again."
The teenager, who last had a full-time job 18 months ago, said he planned to buy a "three-bedroom house with a swimming pool near to a lake" so he could pursue his hobby of fishing.
Carroll, whose father died when he was 10, added: "We've not played Lotto before, but just decided to buy two lucky dips on a whim while we were in our local newsagents. My aunt Kelly checked the winning numbers as I called my numbers out.
"She really thought I was joking when I read out the same six numbers as they appeared on the screen. I was completely speechless and was so happy I couldn't help but cry."
Carroll will not be able to remove his tag until next month.
The Telegraph, London
November 6 2002
A teenage repeat offender, wearing an electronic tag because of a court-imposed curfew, has won £9.7 million ($A27 million) in Britain's National Lottery.
"Don't tell me God doesn't have a sense of humour," observed one police officer on Monday as 19-year-old Michael Carroll, from Downham Market, Norfolk, appeared at a press conference to celebrate his £ jackpot.
Carroll was released in May after serving two months of a four-month prison sentence for offences that included breaking the window of a school bus. He was unable to celebrate his win at a pub because of the curfew, imposed a fortnight ago for being drunk and disorderly.
He will also have to postpone buying a car with his new-found wealth - secured by the first lottery ticket he had ever bought - because he is disqualified from driving until January.
Carroll, who bought his "lucky dip" ticket on Saturday while shopping with his pregnant girlfriend, admitted at the Camelot lottery press conference he had been in court "countless times".
With a Glasgow Rangers tattoo on one side of his neck and a Mandarin script for "evil" on the other, he said: "I was like any normal teenager and made a few mistakes. But that's all changed now. It won't happen again."
The teenager, who last had a full-time job 18 months ago, said he planned to buy a "three-bedroom house with a swimming pool near to a lake" so he could pursue his hobby of fishing.
Carroll, whose father died when he was 10, added: "We've not played Lotto before, but just decided to buy two lucky dips on a whim while we were in our local newsagents. My aunt Kelly checked the winning numbers as I called my numbers out.
"She really thought I was joking when I read out the same six numbers as they appeared on the screen. I was completely speechless and was so happy I couldn't help but cry."
Carroll will not be able to remove his tag until next month.
The Telegraph, London
