Inside downfall of UK’s first big lotto winner whose life ended in tragedy after being shunned when he won £18m jackpot
THE UK’s first big lotto winner’s life ended in tragedy after he was shunned for bagging the £18m jackpot.
Mukhtar Mohidin‘s downfall came after winning the then unimaginable sum in November 1994 at the age of 42.
Purchasing the ticket with £4 change he had left over from a £50 rent payment, Mukhtar became a household name when he won the first National Lottery rollover.
Now lying in an unmarked grave in Berkshire, his life took a dramatic turn when publicity and money went to his head.
The ex-factory worker was quickly shunned by his Muslim community when they refused offers of donations from him as gambling is against Islamic teachings.
Mukhtar’s family then abandoned him when he chose a life of prostitutes and gambling.
Once living in Blackburn, Lancs, with wife Sayeeda and three kids, he quickly left his working-class life behind.
Just four years later and many rows over spending – including Mukhtar refusing to pay for expensive school fees and Sayeeda buying a £90k car – the couple divorced.
A relative said at the time Mukhtar purchased a Mercedes for more than £100,000 in a tit-for-tat battle.
Multi-millionaire Mukhtar then decided to re-invent himself as ‘Mike’ – a wealthy investment banker.
Gambling in some of London‘s top casinos, Mukhtar hired the most expensive escorts and spoilt them with lavish gifts and luxury holidays.
Adopting the party lifestyle, Mukhtar ended up falling in love with £800-per-night escort Charlotte Doyle, 24.
Whilst leading a jet-setting life, Charlotte fell pregnant and the couple had a child in 2002.
However violent outburst and death threats meant Mukhtar was on his own again.
Charlotte told the Daily Mail at the time: “During a holiday in Portugal he battered me round the head so badly that I had to see a doctor.
“He would even threaten to kill me. He’d stroke my face menacingly and say ‘for £100,000 I could have you killed, darling’.”
During the final years of his life he was spotted living in a £35-per-night hotel in Blackpool.
Aged just 64, Mukhtar died on August 23, 2017.
His death certificate said the cause of death was complications from a urinary tract infection.
However it also listed a string of symptoms which could have been a result of his wild lifestyle.
They included kidney failure, liver cirrhosis and heart disease.
