Lottery winner drank himself to death

A Lottery winner used his £1.8 million fortune to drink himself to death, it was revealed today.

Phil Kitchen, who won the money two years ago, was found dead on a sofa at his 17th century mansion just before Christmas.

His friend of 40 years and lodger Bob Walker said: "For the last six weeks of his life he existed on whisky alone. He drank himself to death."

He said Mr Kitchen became depressed after moving from his modest home in Redditch to a £500,000 house in the leafy village of Barnt Green, Worcs, where ex-football manager Ron Atkinson was among his neighbours.

"Phil lived a hermit's life in a downstairs room, with his drink, a settee and a TV," said Mr Walker. "He would watch four videos a day but his world was just drink."

Former joiner Mr Kitchen, 58, was unemployed when he won the lottery in 1999. Only days before he was forced to sell two limited edition china plates for £20 to a secondhand shop to buy food.

Mr Kitchen left his entire estate, which includes the five-bedroom house set in four-and-a-half acres, with a tennis court, stables and boat house, and a Rolls-Royce and a Bentley, to 23 charities, thought to include the British Legion.

Mr Walker, who lent his friend the money to buy the winning Lottery ticket, has three months to leave the home they shared. He is angry at being left out of the will. "I'm gutted, bitter and angry that I have not been left a bean by Phil," he said. "I gave him a roof over his head for 15 years and this is how he has repaid me. I never saw a penny of the Lottery winnings."

Money CAN buy you happiness