Lotto Lout

There’s a peaceful town in England, Swaffham hometown of archeologist Howard Carter who discovered King Tut’s tomb, that’s had to put up with a lot from its most famous living citizen. He’s Michael Carroll, better known as the Lotto Lout, a petty criminal and long-term vandal, who has achieved the dream of a lifetime: he won 9.7 million pounds in the national lottery. At the time, that was $15 million, more than enough to finance his hooliganism. (He collected his prize wearing a house-arrest electronic ankle band!)

He has appeared in court more than thirty times in the last three years: for drug charges, vandalism of property including shooting ball bearings through shop windows, and generally being a huge nuisance. He is what the Brits call a chav: a person wearing gaudy jewelry and clothes and behaving in a corse, obnoxious manmner. Mr. Carroll must relish the term for he has painted “King of Chavs” on his Mercedes.

There are rumors that a chav reality show is in the works with Mr. Carroll as the star. Stay tuned.

Read more of the story in The New York Times.