A lottery millionaire was caught drink-driving when he was shopped in his new luxury Mercedes car.
Dad-of-three Kevin Jones, 58, splashed out on the plush £51,000 Merc from his £1.2m jackpot - then downed cider before taking it for a country drive. But the car’s automatic telematics system raised the alarm when Jones span off the road and crashed into a stream.
Launched in 2012 the emergency call system is now used in over 3.5m vehicles across 25 nations in Europe. The system is able to notify the rescue services automatically in the shortest time after a serious crash, supplying them with the vehicle’s exact GPS position and other important information.
It called cops to the scene who found the car in the water - with Jones “unsteady on his feet” before being breathalysed. And a court has now banned him from driving. Jones scooped £1,210,914 on the People’s Postcode lottery in January - Britain’s biggest winner in the competition.
Kevin Jones after winning the lottery (People's Postcode Lottery/WALES NEWS SERVICE)He was the only player in the full-winning postcode in Llandrindod Wells, Powys. Each ticket was worth £403,638 – but he luckily bought three.
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The former motor engineer Jones is now “retired and lives on his investments”, the magistrates court in the town was told.
Prosecutor James Sprunks said the Mercedes C220 alerted police after Jones crashed through a bridge and landed in a stream at about 6pm on May 15.
The court heard Jones had drunk four or five cans of cider earlier and “thought he was fine to drive” to take his daughter home from a family visit.
The court heard Jones had drunk four or five cans of cider earlier and 'thought he was fine to drive' (People's Postcode Lottery/WALES NEWS SERVICE)“Police received a Telematics call from the car talking to the police station regarding an accident near Llanbadarn Fynydd,” said Mr Sprunks. “An officer who was first on the scene spoke to the defendant who was the owner of the Mercedes. There was an adult female passenger and the car had ended up in a river following a sharp offside bend. The defendant was unsteady on his feet and was slurring his words; the officer formed the opinion he was under the influence. A breath test was positive and he was arrested.”
Mr Sprunks said Jones had 12 previous convictions for 20 offences, including a number of road traffic offences, with the last in 1995.
The alcohol reading provided by Jones was 55 micrograms in breath – the legal limit is 35 micrograms. Huw Williams, representing Jones, said he had been driving his daughter home to Newtown from Llandrindod at about 5.30pm when the accident happened.
“He told officers he had drunk about 4-5 cans of dark fruits cider earlier that day, between 11am-12pm,” said Mr Williams. “He rarely drinks but had a few that morning. He honestly didn’t think he’d be over the limit.”
He said Jones was getting used to a new set of tyres on the plush Mercedes fitted with the high-tech GPS and wireless communications which automatically alerts on problems.
Mr Williams said: “He came round a corner and the back end slid towards the bridge. He couldn’t correct it and crashed through barriers and into the brook. He suffered a slight concussion.”
Mr Williams said Jones cooperated with police and told them “I am very sorry and thank you for doing a good job”.
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“He is ashamed and embarrassed,” added Mr Williams. He went back to see who he thought was the owner of the railings, a farmer, to make recompense. The farmer asked for a significant amount, but they’re not even his, but he will liaise with Powys County Council over payment.”
He added that Jones travels to look after his elderly parents two to three times a week, as well as to look after his daughter. Mr Williams added: “He is retired and lives on his investments”, adding that his weekly income is “significant”.
Magistrates banned Jones from driving for 14 months, which can be reduced by completing a drink driving rehabilitation course. He was fined £440 and told to pay a £176 surcharge and £85 costs – Jones said he would pay the full amount within 28 days.
As he left the dock, Jones said: “I’d just like to say thank you and I’m genuinely very sorry.” When he won the lottery, Jones said: “I was honestly expecting £1,000 and when they pulled out the ticket from the envelope and I saw the first three numbers, then I saw the other three numbers – it totally blew me away. I’m still shocked, I don’t really know how to feel, it just won’t go in.”
He said he first plans to purchase a car with the money, as well as going on a cruise around the Caribbean to get some sunshine. At the time of January’s win he said: “I need a car and I need to buy a place to live at some point.”
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