Michael Carroll (lottery winner)
Encyclopedia
Michael Carroll born in Swaffham
, Norfolk
, UK, is a former binman
who won £9.7 million (then US$15.4m) on the National Lottery
in November 2002, aged 19. His biography
written by Sean Boru
, entitled Careful What You Wish For (ISBN 1-844-54313-7), was published by John Blake Publishing in October 2006. He enjoyed a celebrity status in the British media as the self-proclaimed King of Chav
s, a phrase that he emblazoned on his black Mercedes
van. He spent his multi-million fortune on things such as illegal drugs, gambling
, and prostitutes over the next few years before going back to the £42 a week in jobseeker's allowance
he had been claiming before. He expressed no regrets.
, but the bank refused his application. He thought it was because he had a criminal record.
Weeks after winning Lotto
, Carroll was fined £1,320 after boarding trains without buying tickets.
As a multi-millionaire, the self-proclaimed "king of chavs," known by the press as the "Lotto Lout",immediately bought four houses, a holiday villa in Spain
, two convertible BMW
s along with two Mercedes-Benz
cars and several quad bikes. Sources close to him claim that Carroll, who wears a large amount of gold jewelry, and has been in constant trouble with the law for using drugs
and committing other crimes, has spent "untold thousands" on substance abuse.
In 2005, Carroll participated in a celebrity boxing
match where he was apparently defeated by Mark Smith
, formerly a star of TV show Gladiators under the name Rhino, but the fight was officially declared a draw by the judges.
Also in 2006, he was the subject of the documentary Michael Carroll: King of Chavs.
While living at his mansion, 5 of his Rottweilers were found dead with their throats cut. He paid he £130,000 to blackmailers who threatened his family. He said the men came with shotguns and said "You aren't so big now are you, Mr. Carroll?". He took off in his car and he never went back to Swaffham
, he claimed. He ended up returning to Downham Market
.
In 2010, he appeared as a fictionalised version of himself in the controversial movie Killer Bitch
. He has now spent all his money and is currently working as a binman in England
and, as a fan of Rangers FC
, invested up to a million pounds of his winnings via Rangers Financial Management, from whom the football club receive a share of profits on the financial services they sell.
He is currently estranged from his wife Sandra Aiken and daughter Brooke and has had a child with hairdresser
girlfriend Gemma Peake.
In early August of 2011, he tried committing suicide twice, once by hanging, when he was saved by a friend. Most recently he also tried slicing his throat with a craft knife. The emergency ambulance went to him, treated him for cuts and he was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital
but was discharged after refusing treatment.
by the court after finding that he had been catapulting steel balls from his Mercedes
van, when he was drunk, which resulted in breaking 32 car and shop windows, around Downham Market
. Carroll lived at Downham Market
at the time. He was sentenced with 240 hours of community service and a warning he could face jail time if he didn't adhere to the asbo
.
In February 2006, he was jailed for nine months for affray
. It was noted in court while being sentenced, that since 1997, Carroll had 42 previous offences on his record.
Carroll had reportedly spent almost his entire fortune within 18 months on extravagant houses, cars for demolition derby races in his back garden, and gold jewellery. Later convicted of cocaine possession, it was claimed he has only £500,000 left.
In 2004, he was banned from driving for six months after being caught at the wheel of his new £49,000 BMW without L-plate
s and insurance.
Shortly after being released from prison at the end of June 2006, Carroll took out a loan in order to keep his houses and maintain his "party lifestyle". The BBC reported that he is almost broke, having spent his fortune on new homes, drugs, parties, jewellery and cars.
In August 2006, Carroll denied rumours that he had no money left.
However as of February 2010, he revealed that he was back on Jobseeker's Allowance
, having spent all of his money on crack cocaine
, gambling
, his family and friends, electronic goods, cars, prostitutes and gold.
On 18 February 2010, he was declared bankrupt, with his heavily damaged mansion being put up for sale. The mansion in Swaffham, Norfolk, which he bought for £340,000 and put an additional £400,000 into, by putting in a swimming pool and jacuzzi, was sold for only £142,000 because it was so severely damaged.
In May 2010 he applied for his old job as a binman
, but says he has no regrets about the way in which he spent his winnings.
In August 2011 he attempted to commit suicide.
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, UK, is a former binman
Waste collector
A waste collector is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and remove refuse and recyclables from residential, commercial, industrial or other collection site for further processing and disposal...
who won £9.7 million (then US$15.4m) on the National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
in November 2002, aged 19. His biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
written by Sean Boru
Sean Boru
Sean Boru was an Irish actor and author.Boru was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in 1998, 2000 and 2002. He received radiotherapy the first 2 times, then chemotherapy...
, entitled Careful What You Wish For (ISBN 1-844-54313-7), was published by John Blake Publishing in October 2006. He enjoyed a celebrity status in the British media as the self-proclaimed King of Chav
Chav
A chav is a term that is used in the United Kingdom to describe a stereotype of teenagers and young adults from an underclass background.-Etymology:...
s, a phrase that he emblazoned on his black Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
van. He spent his multi-million fortune on things such as illegal drugs, gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, and prostitutes over the next few years before going back to the £42 a week in jobseeker's allowance
Jobseeker's Allowance
Jobseeker's Allowance is a United Kingdom benefit, colloquially known as the dole . It is a form of unemployment benefit paid by the government to people who are unemployed and seeking work. It is part of the social security benefits system and is intended to cover living expenses while the...
he had been claiming before. He expressed no regrets.
Pre-Lotto
Michael Carroll was born to Kim, who worked in a canning factory and Andy, an RAF engineer. When Carroll was only 18 months old, his father was sent away for 11 years to a military prison, for stabbing a couple after getting into a fight at a dance. His parents separated when he was seven-years-old. His father died of a heart-attack when he was 10-years-old. He had a few step-fathers, one of whom would lock him in his room for hours after hitting him. Carroll claimed he was dyslexic, had ADHD, and was barely literate by the time he finished secondary school. When Carroll was only 13, he received a custodial sentence for shoplifting. He was sent to the Hollesley Bay Prison in Suffolk where he says he finally learned to read and write. Before Carroll turned 18-years-old, he was in a young offenders institute for 2 months, a sentence for aggravated vehicle taking. He also had other run-ins with the law for driving without a licence, assaulting a police officer and breaking into a village phone box. When Carroll won the Lottery at the age of 19, he had been unemployed since working at a chocolate factory months before. At the time, Carroll never had a bank account, and tried opening one up at CouttsCoutts
Coutts & Co. is one of the UK's private banking houses, now wholly owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland . RBS acquired Coutts and all of its overseas subsidiaries when it bought NatWest. On 1 January 2008, Coutts' international businesses were renamed RBS Coutts, aligning them more closely with...
, but the bank refused his application. He thought it was because he had a criminal record.
Celebrity status
Soon after winning the jackpot, Carroll claimed he would not be tempted into spending his money lavishly and only wanted to buy a 3-bedroom house near a lake, where he can go fishing. He also claimed the many criminal offences of his past would not happen again and his anti-social behaviour was behind him.Weeks after winning Lotto
Lotto
Lotto can refer to the following:* Lottery, a form of gambling; lottery refers to a collection of games, while certain specific games have Lotto or Loto as the name....
, Carroll was fined £1,320 after boarding trains without buying tickets.
As a multi-millionaire, the self-proclaimed "king of chavs," known by the press as the "Lotto Lout",immediately bought four houses, a holiday villa in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, two convertible BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
s along with two Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
cars and several quad bikes. Sources close to him claim that Carroll, who wears a large amount of gold jewelry, and has been in constant trouble with the law for using drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
and committing other crimes, has spent "untold thousands" on substance abuse.
In 2005, Carroll participated in a celebrity boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
match where he was apparently defeated by Mark Smith
Mark Smith (gladiator)
Mark Smith is an English Actor and body builder who starred as 'Rhino' on the popular ITV show, 'Gladiators'.-Career:...
, formerly a star of TV show Gladiators under the name Rhino, but the fight was officially declared a draw by the judges.
Also in 2006, he was the subject of the documentary Michael Carroll: King of Chavs.
While living at his mansion, 5 of his Rottweilers were found dead with their throats cut. He paid he £130,000 to blackmailers who threatened his family. He said the men came with shotguns and said "You aren't so big now are you, Mr. Carroll?". He took off in his car and he never went back to Swaffham
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...
, he claimed. He ended up returning to Downham Market
Downham Market
Downham Market is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies on the edge of the Fens, on the River Great Ouse, some 20 km south of the town of King's Lynn, 60 km west of the city of Norwich and the same distance north of the city of Cambridge....
.
In 2010, he appeared as a fictionalised version of himself in the controversial movie Killer Bitch
Killer Bitch
Killer Bitch is a 2010 British action-gangster film written and directed by Liam Galvin.The film became notorious in the UK in August 2009, shortly after shooting started, when tabloid newspapers the News of the World and The People carried stories implying that the movie's star, Katie Price's...
. He has now spent all his money and is currently working as a binman in England
Personal life
Carroll proudly sports a tattoo of the Northern Irish paramilitary organisation Ulster Defence AssociationUlster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
and, as a fan of Rangers FC
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, invested up to a million pounds of his winnings via Rangers Financial Management, from whom the football club receive a share of profits on the financial services they sell.
He is currently estranged from his wife Sandra Aiken and daughter Brooke and has had a child with hairdresser
Hairdresser
Hairdresser is a term referring to anyone whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques...
girlfriend Gemma Peake.
In early August of 2011, he tried committing suicide twice, once by hanging, when he was saved by a friend. Most recently he also tried slicing his throat with a craft knife. The emergency ambulance went to him, treated him for cuts and he was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Queen Elizabeth Hospital or Queen Elizabeth's Hospital can refer to one of several institutions named after Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth II or Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother:Australia*Queen Elizabeth Hospital, AdelaideBarbados...
but was discharged after refusing treatment.
Legal issues
In June 2005, Carroll was given an asboÅsbo
Åsbo can refer to:*Åsbo Northern Hundred, a hundred in Scania*Åsbo Southern Hundred, a hundred in Scania...
by the court after finding that he had been catapulting steel balls from his Mercedes
Mercedes
Mercedes is a girl's name of Spanish origin, referring to a title for the Virgin Mary, "Our Lady of Mercy". The word may also refer to:Automobile-related...
van, when he was drunk, which resulted in breaking 32 car and shop windows, around Downham Market
Downham Market
Downham Market is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies on the edge of the Fens, on the River Great Ouse, some 20 km south of the town of King's Lynn, 60 km west of the city of Norwich and the same distance north of the city of Cambridge....
. Carroll lived at Downham Market
Downham Market
Downham Market is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It lies on the edge of the Fens, on the River Great Ouse, some 20 km south of the town of King's Lynn, 60 km west of the city of Norwich and the same distance north of the city of Cambridge....
at the time. He was sentenced with 240 hours of community service and a warning he could face jail time if he didn't adhere to the asbo
Åsbo
Åsbo can refer to:*Åsbo Northern Hundred, a hundred in Scania*Åsbo Southern Hundred, a hundred in Scania...
.
In February 2006, he was jailed for nine months for affray
Affray
In many legal jurisdictions related to English common law, affray is a public order offence consisting of the fighting of two or more persons in a public place to the terror of ordinary people...
. It was noted in court while being sentenced, that since 1997, Carroll had 42 previous offences on his record.
Carroll had reportedly spent almost his entire fortune within 18 months on extravagant houses, cars for demolition derby races in his back garden, and gold jewellery. Later convicted of cocaine possession, it was claimed he has only £500,000 left.
In 2004, he was banned from driving for six months after being caught at the wheel of his new £49,000 BMW without L-plate
L-plate
An L-plate is a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in many countries if its driver is a learner under instruction, or a motorcycle rider with provisional entitlement to ride restricted motorcycles.- Australia :In...
s and insurance.
Finances
One smart investment Carroll made with advice was to set up a £3.9 million investment bond, which generated monthly income. He was advised to use this account only if funds from a regular account was gone. Once withdrawals are made from the bond, however, huge penalty fees were deducted, besides the amount of the withdrawal. Carroll, who was very generous to family and friends, gave his mother, aunt and a sister £1 million each, and claimed by September of 2003, he had to start living off the bond. Below is some explanation of where his money went, with the withdrawal amount and the penalty fee noted:- 28/10/03, £200,000 (£16,216): He claimed he needed £70,000 to bail his mother out of jail, which was never paid back.
- 25/3/04, £37,035 (£2,363): Carroll stated he gave this to friends who might have lost their home and they never contacted him again.
- 8/4/04, £10,000 (£638): He said he bought a BMW Z3, but does not know where it is and thought he probably lent it to someone and forgot.
- 1/10/04, £100,000 (£6,383): Carroll claimed he lent £50,000 to a friend to start a business. He said he was supposed to get some of the profits, but never received a penny.
- 2/11/04, £100,035 (£6,385): Carroll bought 20 cars for his banger racingBanger racingBanger Racing is a tarmac or dirt track racing type of motorsport event popularised in both North America and Europe and especially United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands in which drivers of old vehicles race against one another around a race track and the race is...
, and a car-carrier, of which he used on land of his own, near his house. - 24/11/04, £100,000 (£6,382): He claimed he lent another £50,000 to another friend. The rest he spent on partying, clothes, and bills for his large number friends.
- 12/5/04, £50,000 (£3,191): He said he had a huge party with 99 people over several consecutive days. He said there were more women there than men, and he had sex with every woman there, as a condition of them being a guest. He bought drugs, food, alcohol, and a gold chain for each of the women.
- 30/3/05, £100,035 (£4,713): He lent £50,000 to another friend, and spent £50,000 on parties and clothes. He claimed by this time he was also paying "wages" to an entourage who did nothing except accompany him round the town, do drugs with him, and defraud and steal things from him.
Shortly after being released from prison at the end of June 2006, Carroll took out a loan in order to keep his houses and maintain his "party lifestyle". The BBC reported that he is almost broke, having spent his fortune on new homes, drugs, parties, jewellery and cars.
In August 2006, Carroll denied rumours that he had no money left.
However as of February 2010, he revealed that he was back on Jobseeker's Allowance
Jobseeker's Allowance
Jobseeker's Allowance is a United Kingdom benefit, colloquially known as the dole . It is a form of unemployment benefit paid by the government to people who are unemployed and seeking work. It is part of the social security benefits system and is intended to cover living expenses while the...
, having spent all of his money on crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
, gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, his family and friends, electronic goods, cars, prostitutes and gold.
On 18 February 2010, he was declared bankrupt, with his heavily damaged mansion being put up for sale. The mansion in Swaffham, Norfolk, which he bought for £340,000 and put an additional £400,000 into, by putting in a swimming pool and jacuzzi, was sold for only £142,000 because it was so severely damaged.
In May 2010 he applied for his old job as a binman
Waste collector
A waste collector is a person employed by a public or private enterprise to collect and remove refuse and recyclables from residential, commercial, industrial or other collection site for further processing and disposal...
, but says he has no regrets about the way in which he spent his winnings.
In August 2011 he attempted to commit suicide.