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 and admitted he left all the financial matters to his wife Trace Sinclair-Robinson. Former labourer Mr Robinson told Stafford Crown Court: “I wanted to get back to normal life.”

He added: “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.”

The couple were unmarried and living in a rented property when they won the lottery in 1995.

The following year they wed, bought Broom Hall in Brewood, South Staffordshire, for £210,000 and spent a further £400,000 renovating it, the court heard.

They later sold up and rented a £2,000 a month house before paying £350,000 cash for Nurton Croft in Great Moor Road, Pattingham, in 2002.

Three months later they took out a £336,000 Birmingham Midshires mortgage on the property as their debts grew, it was revealed.

More than £46,000 of the Midshires mortgage money was used to pay off debts on credit cards, said Mr Rose.

The family were living beyond their means and only had £1m of the windfall left nine years on. Mr Robinson drove expensive cars and his family flew business class to Mexico despite owing £20,000 on credits cards.

In December 2004 the family’s Pattingham home was remortgaged with the Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society for £400,000 that replaced the Midshires loan, the court heard. But Mr Robinson claimed that this was done behind his back by his wife.

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

The couple are now divorcing. Sinclair-Robinson, of 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.