LONDON (Reuters) - A teenager with a criminal record has scooped nearly 10 million pounds playing the national lottery on his first try, newspapers have reported.



At a conference organised by lottery company Camelot, Michael Carroll, 19, said he had never played the lottery before but on a whim decided to buy two "lucky dips" which netted him a 9.7 million pounds jackpot.


Carroll, who was recently released from jail and still has to wear a court-ordered electronic tag so police can monitor his whereabouts, said he was now going to mend his crooked ways.


"I was like any normal teenager and made a few mistakes," he was reported as saying in the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday. "But that's all changed now. It won't happen again."


Carroll's win has prompted a furious response from some tabloid newspapers -- the Daily Star branded him a "Jammy Git" and the Sun called for convicted criminals to be banned from playing the lottery.

Dont see why someone shouldnt be allowed to win the lottery just because they have been in jail..

What about ex-terrorists? If they won the lottery, would you still allow that?

I agree with Alan.

Big deal...he won...

and hell..the lad said he wants to change his ways......

The tabloid newspapers are written by a bunch of tards....enough said about that.

And the Sun quote "convicted criminals to be banned from playing the lottery." is just a bit too much. No reason for everyone to get up in arms over someone with a criminal record winning the lottery.

Good luck to the lad..hope he turns his life around and makes a difference. *cough...so when the heck am i going to win? :blush:

Originally posted by Ivana Nutjob
What about ex-terrorists? If they won the lottery, would you still allow that?

Think that's another thread........

yes ...if an ex-terrorists won ...it would piss off alot of ppl...simply because there are others more deserving...however, the fact remains that if we allow ourselves to remain in that attitude of revenge...our society would be stuck in an endless cycle....never moving forward....the answer is in the term "ex".

Yes..they were a terrorist ...or criminal..and yes ...committed crimes..however...they served their time...

I'm not trying to defend ex-terrorists or criminals...but i really don't see a point in banning them from the lottery. *cough...surely someone will come along and beat this post down... ;)

Half of the people that buy lottery tickets are criminals looking for a better life...And if half of the people were banned, half of America's education funds would diminish. Bad plan.

:emlaugh: Ah haha hahaha, democracy...

Isn't lottery for everyone? I never knew there were restrictions. I thought you only had to be a resident of the state and be of legal age?

sounds like the Sun alright !

Lord Rupert of Wapping

one australian I'm glad to see renounce his citizenship, thank what gods there are for that one .. pity he had to degrade USA and debase it to his own level by becoming a citizen there

was the headline actually 'teenage thief" ? for heavens sake !!!!
just the right selling point to appeal to middle aged farts

I heard it on the news here. I think he's the right person for the win. He's young enough to be able to do something, and he has the means now.

Why that little.. :D

well said reptilian feline

if all of the old farts remember what I did wrong when I was a 'teenager' I may have ended up on the gibbet/gallows

let's hope he has a happy life with what he won legitimately .. or at least a good time !

and he can now afford a laugh at the old farts :D

Well I don't think he should of got it, maby crinimals (if thats how you spell it, doesn't look correct :() should be banned from the lottery. But it would be unlikely since it's hard to tell if someone was an ex crinimal ..

damn, i spend a fortune on the lottery never won a thing.

Originally posted by UH-Matt
damn, i spend a fortune on the lottery never won a thing.

Stop spending money on the lottery and you will make a fortune in no time ;)

Originally posted by Darth
Well I don't think he should of got it, maby crinimals (if thats how you spell it, doesn't look correct :() should be banned from the lottery. But it would be unlikely since it's hard to tell if someone was an ex crinimal ..

Define criminal.... I've got a police record as I've been fined for speeding. Does that mean I can't play??

Ahh criminal, :). No, people who killed etc should not be allowed to play. Plus you shouldn't be wasting money on the lottery :D

That's ok I don't :)

Ain't played it in over 5 years now!!

Well I don't think he should of got it

oh dear, why don't you think he should have been able to collect his lucky lottery winnings ?

honestly Darth , should we all be judged by something we did wrong when we were in our teens ?

tell you the truth, if that were the case I'd be well bloody gone by now, in fact years ago, and I reckon everyone has done something that either could be classified criminal . or something that we don't won't our friends to know, or something we don't like to admit to ourselves ..

come on, a teenager has a long way to go yet, what's a couple of mistakes along the way ? how else do we learn ?

mind you, I've never won anything but if I did would it be fair that someone questioned my past ?


p.s do not question my past (shudder)

Did you kill someone?

no

not yet

why ?

Never mind *goes back to work :D *

If you want to win somethign you have to make an investment, just like the stockmarket. I don't play the lottery, but I put aside about $10/month to some savings stock thingy, and so far I've lost ever month. I hope I'm on the plus side in 20 years, but if it doesn't change in 10, I'll have a refund and invest somewhere else.

/ME starts to dig for susannad's past !! :D :D

Originally posted by UH-Matt
/ME starts to dig for susannad's past !! :D :D

findthatcriminal.com :D

to save you some trouble ..

I have been apprehended, detained, charged and convicted of various crimes

:D

Sounds nice, by any chance did you kick one of the officers? :D

and, lighten up Darth, why are you making this a personal thing ?

you want to know my criminal record just ask me .. I'll tell you, I'll post it here if you like .. it doesn't worry me, why should it, or myself, worry you ?

or is it something else you have the problem with ?
my gender ? my age ? my ethnicity ? please just say so ...

I have no problem? just trying to make a conversation? is it illegal? do you have a problem? :confused: what did I do!!! :bawling:

kick one of the officers? oh if only, if only

I was charged and found guilty once of Cruelty to an Animal

that was the police horse that ran me down and I hurled my handbag at the horse (after being run down by the horse)

that was in a whole other pile of other related charges

thats not cruelty :confused: sue them!

:laugh:

we don't have that kind of litigation in australia

I've also been charged and convicted of 'besetting' which comes from when you lay seige to a castle

australia seems to be popular here.

The BBC's Teletext service stated that the lad's criminal record consisted of being charged with being drunk and disorderly, and for resisting arrest. Hardly a really big deal. It's become an accepted norm of behaviour among young lads in Britain.

Besides, winning the Lottery is a punishment, I assure you. Absolutely assure you. In two years time, he'll wish he never won it. I'll bet £9.7 million on that [hypothetically speaking].

Why? I wouldn't complain ;)

drunk and disorderly, and for resisting arrest in Australia that's the trifecta, drunk & disorderly, resisting arrest and abusive labguage

when they really want to screw you it's D&D, resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer

I had one of those too, the charge of 'drunk' was dismissed but the others stood

That's it ?!?!

Obviously the British tabloids had no other well known person to crucify over nothing today...