Training | 2010.01.07
Youngest Scottish lottery winner found dead
Police launch investigation into death of Stuart Donnelly, 29, who won nearly £2m aged 17
One of Britain\'s youngest lottery winners has been found dead at his home after apparently becoming a recluse in his secluded cottage in the countryside.
Stuart Donnelly, then a trainee pharmacist, toasted his lottery win of just over £1.9m with Coca-Cola in 1997 because, at 17, he was too young to share his parents\' champagne.
Donnelly, 29, was found dead on Tuesday by a relative at the bungalow at Buittle Bridge, near Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway, which he had bought with his winnings, and had shared originally with his father, Danny, who had polio, and other relatives.
He is thought to have died from natural causes. The police said a postmortem examination was being carried out, and added: "Early investigations suggest that there are no suspicious circumstances."
Donnelly was one of 13 people to share the £25m jackpot in November 1997 and quickly became known for his generosity. Formerly from Neilston in Renfrewshire, Donnelly gave £15,000 to Yorkhill hospital in Glasgow, where his younger brother Shaun was being treated for a rare blood disorder, and gave money to aunts and uncles.
At the time of his win, Donnelly was the main breadwinner for his immediate family and helped care for his father. He then spent £600,000 on new homes for his father and mother, May, who were divorced. Donnelly reportedly bought holiday properties for his family in Thailand, where he had his first foreign holiday on the winnings.
But Donnelly was little known in Castle Douglas, and despite sharing his bungalow with his father, a relative and two friends over the years, he had recently been living alone. His father died of a heart attack on holiday some years ago.
He admitted on his Bebo page that he rarely left his home, which he had fitted with luxury items including a full-size snooker table. He listed his pastimes as: "Sleeping, watching TV, listening to music, surfing the net. Basically, anything that involves not leaving the house." A message left on his page today said: "Can\'t believe you\'re gone. I\'m gonna miss you a hell of a lot. R.I.P"
In an interview in 2003, Donnelly said winning the lottery as a teenager had put him and his family under great pressure. They did not enjoy the attention his status as Scotland\'s youngest lottery winner had generated. "It was very hard to deal with all the attention I got," he said. "I even had people camping outside my house. It put a huge strain on me and my family."
It is understood his body was discovered on Tuesday after his mother phoned his cottage and got no answer. A relative who was asked to check on him discovered his body.
Donnelly\'s father commented at the time of the lottery win: "I couldn\'t get a better son. He\'s the nicest person you could meet. Stuart doesn\'t drink, smoke or take drugs. He\'s here to look after me round the clock. Even if he wasn\'t a millionaire, he would still be a super son."
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/07[...]d-youngest-lottery-winner-dead
