How a ‘hedonic’ young Powerball winner’s life spiraled out of control after he won $22 million until he was found with cocaine, ecstasy and a gun in his wrecked party house
Adelaide man thrown behind bars after drugs and firearm found in ‘party house’
Joshua Winslet Won $22 Million Powerball In 2017 And Quit Plumbing
Judge ruled he lost motivation and used millions to buy ‘so-called’ friends drugs
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The life of a young tradie quickly spiraled out of control after he won a staggering $22 million lottery drawing and used the money to fund his drug-fueled party life, with police photos of the property revealing the extent of the debauchery.
Joshua Winslet, 27, was sentenced to three years and nine months, with a non-parole of 18 months last week, but was given time behind bars on a two-year, supervised good-behavior bond.
The Powerball winner pleaded guilty to supplying MDMA and possessing an unlicensed firearm after a police raided this New Port home in Adelaide. manhole in the bathroom.
Adelaide District Court judge Heath Barklay said the former plumber was “hopelessly drug addicted” at the time of the offense and began hanging out with the “wrong crowd”.
“You stopped working and over time you slid into regular drug use,” Judge Barklay said during the sentencing. Adelaide Advertiser reported
“Because of the money you won, there was no motivation on your part to work or do anything but amuse yourself.”
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”)
Confrontational photos from the New Port residence, a suburb in northwestern Adelaide, show a bowl of white powder in a largely empty refrigerator
On one wall is Winslet’s winning ticket (pictured), while in other rooms almost every available surface is covered by empty bottles, cans and dirty dishes
Pictured: The Mauser pistol found hidden in a manhole at Winslet’s home in New Port
He said Winslet’s new millions had been used to fuel the drug habits of those who frequented his house parties — with one of his “so-called friends” brining an illegal firearm and ammunition to store on his roof.
Confrontational photos from the inside show a bowl of white powder in a mostly empty refrigerator.
On one wall is Winslet’s winning lottery ticket, while in other rooms almost every available surface is covered with empty bottles, cans and dirty dishes.
Winslet’s attorney David Edwardson QC said the house’s “terrible” condition was because residents had treated it as a “party house” at the time.
In his July sentencing statements, Mr. Edwardson explained that his client’s millions were held in a trust account by his parents, but that Winslet was a section to buy property in South Australia and New Zealand.
Winslet’s attorney David Edwardson QC said the house’s ‘terrible’ condition was because the residents had treated it as a ‘party house’ at the time
The Adelaide District Court heard that the police visited the house (pictured) after receiving information that drugs were 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 (photo, a room in the house)
Mr Edwardson said his client experienced a “wake-up call” after learning he could devote time to his actions.
Judge Barklay said his newfound wealth made the 27-year-old content with “a hedonic lifestyle, punctuated by drug use.”
He admonished Winslet for possessing the firearm, because it increased the likelihood that people would use it for an “unlawful purpose.”