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Britain’s youngest EuroMillions winner appeared in court accused of killing a grandmother in a car accident last Christmas.
Matt Topham, who made £ 45 million when he was 23, allegedly crashed his BMW into the Ford Fiesta of 75-year-old Mary Jane Regler.
Ms Regler’s husband, Rodney, 78, who was driving, was seriously injured after the 5.50pm incident near North Cockerington in Lincolnshire.
Topham, who is believed to have been visiting relatives in the area, was questioned and charged by police.
The millionaire, a former builder who owns a fleet of Aston Martins, spoke to confirm his identity and date of birth when he appeared via video link at Lincoln Crown Court.
No charges were brought against the defendant and a judge adjourned the case until December 18. The trial is expected to begin in March.
Matt Topham (pictured with his wife Cassey Carrington), who made £ 45 million when he was 23, allegedly broke his BMW against Mary Jane Regler’s 75-year-old Ford Fiesta.
Ms. Regler’s husband (pictured), Rodney, 78, who was driving, was left seriously injured after the 5.50pm incident near North Cockerington in Lincolnshire.
Topham, who was believed to have been visiting relatives in the area, was questioned and charged by police.
Ms Regler’s daughter-in-law wrote on Facebook after her death: “The sudden death of a loved one is like getting punched in the face.”
She added: ‘It takes a while to record what actually happened before it starts to hurt properly.
‘The bruises and the lasting effects, both physically and psychologically, will accompany you forever.
It emerged last week that Topham had bought her mother-in-law a £ 600,000 petting zoo as an advance Christmas gift.
Jane, the mother of his wife Cassey, now owns and runs the visitor site at Rushmoor Country Farm Park in Louth with her daughters Jade, 27, and Alicia, 22.
Topham and Cassey have been busy spending money since they made their fortune in February 2012.
The 31-year-old couple have also used the jackpot to fill the zoo with horses, pigs, pygmy goats, llamas and ducks.
And they had money to spare to buy a falconry center too, which housed falcons, hawks, owls and a sea eagle.
Jane, Cassey’s mother, has been running the visitor site at Rushmoor Country Farm Park (pictured) in Louth, Lincs, with her daughters Jade, 27, and Alicia, 22
The Tophams have been spending money on themselves, but the generous couple have bought luxury cars, houses and vacations for family and friends as well.
A friend told the Sun: “ They seem to have learned to be lottery millionaires, they know how to have fun.
If your mother-in-law wanted a zoo, why not buy her one? He can afford it. It’s good to see a couple win the lottery for once. ”
Topham had been a painter and decorator, but since his triumph he has trained as a helicopter pilot and racing driver.
The car lover won a Donington GT Cup Championship race in his £ 240,000 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 last month.
It is one of several cars he owns, including a Jaguar XKR-S, a Range Rover Evoque, a Porsche, and an Aston Martin DB9.
After winning the EuroMillions, the then newlyweds, living in a £ 89,950 former council house in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, said they would buy a ‘dream home’.
The couple won the EuroMillions jackpot eight years ago, when the then newlyweds lived in a £ 89,950 former council house in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire.
Neighbors described the house as ‘very out of place for the area’ and looked like ‘a collection of turtles’
They bought a 1930s mansion for £ 1.2 million, which they planned to demolish to make way for a new home, a £ 5 million eight-room eco-house called ‘Serenity’.
But their proposals, which included a soundproofed cinema, a botanical garden and a swimming pool, caught the attention of neighbors who accused them of ‘bad taste’.
Proposals submitted to the local authority at the time included four wings or ‘hubs’ covered with solar panels, a spectacular interior staircase and a ten-car garage.
The vehicles would be hidden by a cascade of rainwater, which would flow from a pool in the center of the mansion to a second pool below.
The couple also invested in luxury cars, homes, and vacations for family and friends.
