Belfast man won €11m on lottery and went on holiday – dark side of win emerged on return
Peter Lavery won £10.2million (approx €11.8m) on the lottery in 1996 at the age of 34, but the Belfast bus driver soon discovered that life as a multi-millionaire came with a dark side
A man who scooped a remarkable £10.2million (approx €11.8m) on the lottery back in 1996 faced a troubling reality upon returning to Belfast — following a celebratory break away with his nearest and dearest.
Peter Lavery was just 34-years-old when he struck it lucky, enjoying a night out with friends when someone broke the news that he'd hit the jackpot.
However, having had too much to drink to take it all in properly, it wasn't until the following morning that he truly grasped how dramatically his life had changed after checking his numbers. Speaking in a recent interview, he recalled: "It felt unreal."
When asked on the In Good Company podcast whether he had immediate plans for the enormous windfall, he responded: "Put it this way, in the first four weeks, I spent £3million (approx €3.4m) giving it away to my family and charities."
Having discovered his fortune on a Sunday morning, he still completed a five-hour shift as a bus driver — a job that paid him £200 a week — yet by Wednesday he had handed in his notice and was already checked into a five-star Caribbean resort.
He said: "12 members, between friends and family, came with me to St Lucia. My first trip to St Lucia cost £66,000. It was all flying out club class, you name it, it was the best resort in the centre of St Lucia."
Peter revealed that each morning during the holiday he struggled to comprehend what had happened, describing the whole experience as surreal.
Yet for the lottery winner, who was raised in the working-class neighbourhood of Short Strand, things took a darker turn upon his return to Belfast. By that point, he had become the focus of intense media attention, and it appeared the entire city was aware of his newfound wealth.
When questioned about whether people had approached him requesting money, he revealed: "I've had that. I got back to Belfast after my three-and-a-half weeks away. The head of the post office came to my door right, and he goes, 'We have 15,000 letters in the exchange for you, what do you want me to do with them?'"
Completely overwhelmed, Peter requested the correspondence be sent back to those who posted them, noting that most lacked his proper address on the envelopes, with many simply stating: "Peter Lavery lottery winner."
He explained some did arrive at his home and when asked if any caught his attention, Peter responded: "They do, but where do you start and where do you finish?
"People who come, they're in desperate situations to do so, like they must be so desperate to think you are the answer."
He continued: "Listen, you can only do what you can do, and sometimes you give an organisation £1,000 and they turn and say 'you may as well give us two' so as long as my heart tells you I've done something... I didn't have to do anything.
"And if you don't get that in your head, then you put your own head away too."
Although he spent large portions of his winnings, Peter is currently considered a thriving entrepreneur, having established Titanic Distillers.
However, after suddenly becoming one of Northern Ireland's wealthiest individuals, he revealed in a prior interview that it represented the "biggest upheaval" of his life.
He indulged excessively in food, alcohol and celebrations, and following the purchase of a family residence for his siblings, he additionally spent £300,000 to reside in the 'Golden Triangle' neighbourhood.
Within the initial two years, he also squandered half a million on vehicles, including Jaguars and Bentleys. Nevertheless, he subsequently sold his prestige automobiles, though he retained his Mercedes.
The lottery win ultimately affected his wellbeing, and prior to turning 40 he reached a critical juncture.
He understood he would perish if he failed to cease drinking, and he received a Type-2 diabetes diagnosis.
In a 2023 BBC documentary, he stated: "I didn't drink every day but once I got a drink in me I just didn't want to go home so I would be out in Belfast until four or five in the morning. It's nothing to be proud of.
"I didn't have liver or heart problems but my sugar levels were going in the wrong direction and my doctor, who's a good friend of mine, told me to change my lifestyle or I'd be injecting insulin forever."
Peter, who has abstained from alcohol, has earned recognition for his charitable nature throughout the years, donating more than €2million to various charitable organisations.
He also previously organised a trip to Disney World in Florida for 20 youngsters affected by the Troubles alongside their parents as a gesture of goodwill.
