Posted: 10:10, 11 September 2022 | Updated: 13:02, 11 September 2022
A young amateur’s life quickly spiraled out of control after he won a staggering $22 million jackpot and used the money to fund his drug-fuelled party lifestyle, with police photos of the estate revealing the extent of of dismay. Joshua Winslet, 27, was sentenced to three years and nine months, with a non-parole period of 18 months, last week, but the time behind bars was suspended on a two-year, supervised good behavior bond. Powerball winner has pleaded guilty to supplying MDMA and possessing a firearm without a license after police raided this home in New Port, Adelaide, where 2.27 grams of cocaine, 27.3 grams of MDMA and a handgun were discovered with ammo in a well in the bathroom. Adelaide District Court Judge Heath Barclay said the former plumber was “hopelessly addicted to drugs” at the time of the offending and started hanging with the “wrong crowd”. “You stopped working and over time, you slipped into regular drug use,” Judge Barclay said during sentencing, the Adelaide Advertiser reported “Because of the money you had earned, there was no incentive on your part to work or do anything other than have fun.” A court heard how a young Powerball winner’s life quickly spiraled out of control after he won a staggering $22 million and ‘lost motivation’ in life (pictured, a room in the ‘party house’) Facing pictures from inside the home in New Port, a suburb north-west of Adelaide, show a bowl of white powder inside a mostly empty fridge Hanging on one wall is Winslet’s winning lottery ticket (pictured) while in other rooms empty bottles, cans and dirty dishes cover almost every available surface Pictured: The Mauser pistol was found hidden in a well at Winslet’s New Port home He said Winslet’s new millions were used to feed the drug habits of partygoers at his house – with one of his “so-called friends” bringing in an illegal firearm and ammunition to store on his roof. Surveillance photos from inside the property show a bowl of white powder inside a mostly empty fridge. Hanging on one of the walls is Winslet’s winning lottery ticket while in other rooms empty bottles, cans and dirty dishes cover almost every available surface. Winslet’s lawyer David Edwardson said the house’s “terrible” condition was because its occupants at the time treated it as a “party house”. During sentencing in July, Mr Edwardson explained that his client’s millions were managed by his parents in a trust account, but that Winslet had used a portion to buy properties in South Australia and New Zealand. Winslet’s lawyer, David Edwardson, said the house’s “terrible” condition was because its occupants at the time treated it as a “party house”. Adelaide District Court heard police attended the home (pictured) after receiving information that drugs were being manufactured there Officers found 2.27 grams of cocaine on Winslet, 23.9 grams of MDMA in a safe in one of the bedrooms and 4.4 grams of MDMA in the wardrobe (pictured, a room in the house) Mr Edwardson said his client had experienced a “wake-up call” after learning he could call time on his actions. Judge Barclay said the 27-year-old’s new fortune had led him to be content with “a hedonistic lifestyle marked by drug use”. He warned Winslet about owning the firearm as it had increased the possibility that people would use it for an “illegal purpose”.
