Tragic ending after lottery win that wasn't
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.BY JOJO MOYES and
MARIANNE MACDONALD
A father-of-two is thought to have committed suicide on Sunday after realising he had missed out on a £2m share of last weekend's National Lottery jackpot.
Tim O'Brien, 51, of Liverpool, picked the same numbers every week. It is believed he thought he had scooped a share of the £8m jackpot when those numbers finally came up - until he realised he had forgotten to renew his stake.
Last Sunday afternoon, neighbours heard a gunshot at his home. Mr O'Brien, an engineer, was found lying dead in the attic with a gun beside him.
It is understood that Mr O'Brien had bought, in advance, five weeks of Lottery tickets and would have shared a win as part of a "two person syndicate".
But though he had all six winning numbers - 14, 17, 22, 24, 42 and 47 - his batch of selections had expired on April Fool's day.
Merseyside Police were not looking for anyone else in connection with his death. and police sources said there were no other obvious reasons for Mr O'Brien's suicide.
Meanwhile, a jobless teenager described himself as "sick as a parrot" after pulling out of a national lottery syndicate a fortnight before it won the jackpot.
Kevin Hatcher, 18, from Kent, pulled out so he could save his 50p stake to spend on beer with his friends.
Paul Titchmarsh, a friend who agreed to take over his share, won £900,000 at the weekend as his share of the £2.7m scooped by the syndicate.
The winners are now contemplating buying new homes, cars and businesses while Mr Hatcher still struggles to find the price of a pint of beer.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments