Lotto win is criminal

Often in the news we hear stories about convicted criminals winning prizes in the UK Lotto and we often wonder why these stories are such a big deal. Are people suggesting that people with criminal pasts shouldn’t be allowed to play lotto games? I guess the chief of Karma would be the one you would need to complain to in that situation and now you’ll have more cause to complain as a convicted criminal wins £250,000 on a UK Lotto scratchcard.

The scratchcard winner is a convicted drug user from Hawick, Borders, Scotland. Jerry Donaldson has been unemployed for ten years after a building site injury, but he won’t have any money worries now as he has scooped £250,000 on a National Lottery scratchcard.

The 39 year old has been convicted of four cannabis offences since his lottery win, a drug he insists he uses for pain relief for his building site injury.

Mr Donaldson has just been fined £400 at Jedburgh Sheriff court for Cannabis use but we shouldn’t think he’s worrying too much about that. Although Mr Donaldson hasn’t been able to promise not to use cannabis again so maybe he needs to consider the fact that this win will not keep him out of prison.

Maybe receiving his £250,000 cheque this week will make Mr Donaldson will choose a more effective method of pain relief, or at least a more legal one.

This however doesn’t change the argument that courts in this country decide justice, not sellers of lottery tickets and so it doesn’t matter what a persons past is, when they win the lottery we should say “well done”

Article Last Updated: 2nd February 2010

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