Man Ended Up In Jail Just Months After Hitting $8 Million Jackpot

The lottery winner, now in his 60s, was branded the 'Lotto lag' when he was sentenced to eighteen months in prison for handling stolen cars. 

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Although he only served nine of those months, he will still go down in history as the first British lottery millionaire to end up behind bars.

Years later, Ryan's high life was a thing of a past, as he was believed to be renting a two-room flat in South London and earning under $12,500 a year. 

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Despite this, Ryan insisted in 2014 that he was happier with his current life than he was during his time as a millionaire.

He prayed to God to make him a millionaire while serving a prison sentence in 1986 for stealing cars.

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"My cellmate warned me to be careful what I wished for. The money was a curse." he said.

His winnings were splashed on a $1 million country mansion alongside a fleet of luxury cars, including a Porsche, a Bentley, a Ferrari and a BMW.

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Each car came with a personalised license plate - LEE 1, LEE 2, LEE 3, and LEE 4.

The family home came equipped with a swimming pool, tennis court, sauna, Jacuzzi and games room.

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He then bought two Ducati superbikes, a $155,000 plane, and a $292,000 Bell JetRanger helicopter, which he was later fined for using after buzzing homes.

However, winning came with its own shortcomings, as Ryan and his family received death threats.

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Ryan hired a bodyguard following prison threats to his family.

He also beefed up security at his home, installing hi-tech cameras and bringing in guard doors after he is said to have fallen out with fellow lags.

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Speaking to The Daily Record, one of Ryan's friends said:

"When he was first sent to prison, the other inmates were falling over themselves to befriend him because of his money. But some powerful people have now apparently turned against him because of his attitude. He has taken the threats seriously and is determined that Karen and the kids will be looked after until he comes out."

Things soon fell apart for Ryan and he split with his wife in 2003.

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After spending some time with a new partner over in Kyrgyzstan, Ryan returned to Britain in 2010 - where he spent two months sleeping on the streets in a sleeping bag.

He said:

"I travelled all over the country. I bumped into what I call 'living angels' where I am not asking anybody for anything and someone turns up saying, 'Are you all right, mate?'".

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Ryan, now in his 60s, works as a cameraman and still lives in his South London flat, where he claims to host homeless people as guests.