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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Kris Gourlay

The Edinburgh lottery winner who blew £3.5million in three years on 'cars and scams'

With Edinburgh and the Lothians being home to several lottery winners over the years, whatever they decide to spend their money on is always at the centre of public opinion and speculation.

While many of those who come into money spend it wisely and invest it in their future, some are not as fortunate and end up leaping from one disaster to another.

Back in 1998, an Edinburgh resident won a whopping £3.5million - a fortune that is more than life-changing in today's financial climate - never mind more than two decades ago.

READ MORE: Kind-hearted West Lothian Asda worker paid for young mum's shopping after card failed

John Roberts couldn't believe his luck when his ticket came up trumps. But several years later, he probably wished he never even walked into the shop the day he bought it.

According to the Scottish Sun, John ended up penniless three years after his big win after splashing the cash on as many as forty cars. After winning the life-changing amount in 1998, John found himself living in a caravan in Leeds shortly after.

John Roberts (centre), with his mother Mhairi and brother Kenny, in Edinburgh Tuesday November 19, 1998. (PA)

John reportedly also racked up a £40,000 hotel bill as he and his wife at the time Linda moving from their humble abode in Edinburgh to a mansion in Blackpool as part of their celebratory spending spree.

The Mirror previously reported how the former security guard fell victim to a string of dodgy deals and lost the rest of millions to tricksters. One investment led John to believe he had bought a pub only to find out his name was never on the deeds.

John reportedly also ended up in hot water over unpaid fines linked to motoring offences and skipped to hearings at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. Back in 2004, John appeared on ITV's show A Decade of Lottery Disasters.

The show focussed on the flipside of bagging a fortune and explored how lives can be saved and lost as the result of winning a life-changing amount of money.

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