£45m Lottery winner in court over Christmas Day fatal crash
HE IS CHARGED WITH CAUSING DEATH OF PENSIONER, 75
A LOTTERY jackpot winner from Nottingham has appeared in court charged with killing a pensioner in a Christmas Day car crash.
Matt Topham, 31, who scooped £45m on the Euromillions in 2012 to become Britain’s youngest mega lottery winner, was behind the wheel of a BMW when the tragedy happened in North Cockerington, Lincolnshire.
Mary Jane Regler, 75, died and her husband Rodney, 78, who was driving, was seriously injured in the smash last year, The Mirror reports.
Topham was charged in September with causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury as a result of dangerous driving.
The father-of-three, appeared via video-link at Lincoln Crown Court yesterday morning.
Mary, who used the name Jane, lived with her husband in North Cockerington. She was taken to Grimsby Hospital after the collision but died from her injuries.
In an obituary in her local newspaper in February, her family said she had been “tragically taken” from them. They described her as a “much-loved wife, mum, nan and friend who will be sadly missed by all that knew her”.
Her daughter-in-law posted on Facebook after her death: “The sudden death of someone you love is like being punched in the face.
“It takes a while to register what’s
actually happened before it properly starts to hurt.
“The bruises and the lasting effects, both physically and psychologically are going to be with you forever.”
Hundreds of mourners wearing bright colours turned out for her funeral at Alford Crematorium.
Topham, who won the jackpot with his supermarket worker wife Casey, will next appear in court on December 18.
He is due to stand trial next March.
The couple went public with their Euromillions win in February 2012 and hit the headlines after planning to build a ‘Teletubbies-style’ mansion.
They have also splashed out on luxury cars, houses and holidays for family and friends. It emerged last week that he had bought his mother-in-law a £600,000 petting zoo.