Today he admitted that on October 30 last year he possessed heroin, cannabis resin and diazepam at his home.

The court heard that police, acting on information, had gone to the house where they found the accused. A search was carried out and heroin worth £90, cannabis resin worth £55 and diazepam worth £4 were found.

Solicitor Mike Short said Hamilton had not been coping. His sister and brother had died of natural causes and he was finding things difficult.

The agent continued, “He had a large win on the lottery and this was well known in the area where he lived. People he did not even know were trying to get money from him.”

Mr Short said that Hamilton could not claim benefits and could not work.

Hamilton had been using drugs at this time to cope with “being hassled constantly”.

Sheriff Derek Pyle examined Hamilton’s lengthy record and commented he had been taking drugs for a long time before this and that he had been in jail a lot.

The sheriff told Hamilton, “You are far too old to take drugs. I expect people to retire from them by the age of 30.”

He asked Mr Short if any of the lottery money remained and Mr Short said some of it did and wrote the sum down on a piece of paper. However the sheriff did not read it, saying it would not be appropriate.

He fined Hamilton £500.

Hamilton bought his winning National Lottery 100 Grand ticket for £2 from a Spar store in Douglas.

He did not have a bank account, passport or driver’s licence because he said he had not needed them after spending around seven years in prison.

Camelot Group, which manages the National Lottery, refused to pay out until he had proper ID. He was finally issued with his cheque after a trip to Camelot’s Liverpool HQ with a note from his doctor, confirming his patient’s identity.

At the time, Hamilton told the Tele he was planning on buying a flat with the winnings.

“I want to try and get on the property ladder,” he said. “I have grand-children, so whatever is left will just be for them.”