A lottery millionaire from South Staffordshire got “bored” after his £2.7 million win and wanted a normal life despite using his fortune to buy luxury homes, cars and holidays, a court heard.

Father-of-three Anthony Robinson, from Wolverhampton, gave up his job after the win. But he told Stafford Crown Court that the high life left him bored and claimed: “I wanted to get back to normal life.”

Former labourer Mr Robinson told the jury: “I liked working and was not afraid to work with my hands.

“I wanted to get back to normal life. I was becoming depressed and bored and spent a lot of my time playing computer games.

“After the win I thought why should I work? I wanted to enjoy my leisure time but after eight years it gets a bit much doing nothing.”

A lottery millionaire from South Staffordshire got “bored” after his £2.7 million win and wanted a normal life despite using his fortune to buy luxury homes, cars and holidays, a court heard.

Father-of-three Anthony Robinson, from Wolverhampton, gave up his job after the win. But he told Stafford Crown Court that the high life left him bored and claimed: “I wanted to get back to normal life.”

Former labourer Mr Robinson told the jury: “I liked working and was not afraid to work with my hands.

“I wanted to get back to normal life. I was becoming depressed and bored and spent a lot of my time playing computer games.

“After the win I thought why should I work? I wanted to enjoy my leisure time but after eight years it gets a bit much doing nothing.”

Mr Robinson and his wife Tracy Sinclair-Robinson, who met in 1986, were unmarried when they won the lottery in 1995.

The family only had £1 million of the windfall left nine years after hitting the jackpot. They were warned the rest would only last another 10 years unless they cut down their spending.

Barrister Mr Jonathan Rose told Mr Robinson: “You were living the good life and spending more than you had coming in.”

In December 2004 the Pattingham family home was remortgaged with the Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society for £400,000.

But Mr Robinson claimed this was done behind his back by his wife who also allegedly ran up debts on credit cards without his knowledge.

She admits his signature was forged on various documents for loans and credit cards but denies that she was acting dishonestly.

He told the court: “I left all the financial matters to Tracy and trusted her.”

The couple have now split up and are divorcing.

Prosecutor Nick Burn said: “The focus of the case will be whether the defendant was dishonest when she forged her husband’s signature on the mortgage application, when she made credit card applications and when she forged his signature on other documents.”

Tracy Sinclair-Robinson from Great Moor Road, Pattingham, denies two charges of fraud, two of obtaining services by deception and one each of obtaining by deception and theft.

The trial continues.

By Sarah Bullock