£1.2 million Lotto jackpot turned my life into a NIGHTMARE

Father-of-four John Gallagher, 49, is living in a log cabin on a caravan park after fleeing the dream home he bought after his windfall – to escape vandals who kept trying to break in.

John now occupies his days reading, doing jigsaw puzzles, practising his golf on a putting mat and taking his faithful border collie Leo for long walks.

He’s been on just one foreign holiday since the win and misses his old life so much that he’s planning to return to work as a part-time roads labourer – even though he’s got enough money to keep him and his family comfortable for the rest of their days.

“People think it’s brilliant to win lottery, but I’ve not had a night’s peace since,” said John.

“It’s been two years of hell.

“It’s actually the worst thing that’s happened to me because of all the hassle it’s caused.

“When I went into the shop I thought I had only won £7.50 and to be honest that might have been better.”

Even before Camelot had confirmed John’s win on a EuroMillions raffle on July 26, 2013, his home town was awash with frenzied gossip about him.

“I was waiting for Camelot to call back and my phone started ringing with people saying: ‘We hear you’ve won £50 million and you’re moving to the Bahamas’.

“I couldn’t believe how quickly it spread. I refused publicity with Camelot, but it didn’t matter.

“Everyone knew anyway.

“Camelot said I should move and I wish I had because all I got was people coming to my door asking for money.

“I’m a generous guy and I’ve given thousands to charities, friends and family. But some of the people who tried to tap me were just at it.

“One guy put a letter through my door asking for £8,500.

“This guy’s got a good job, a house and a fancy car.

“I said to him: ‘How do you not just go to the bank?’

“And the guy said back to me: ‘I’d get it quicker off you’.

“I sent him away and now he’s one of the people bad-mouthing me saying I’m greedy when I’m helping people all the time, but try not to make a fuss about it.

“The money means I’m secure for life and so is my family – but it’s brought non-stop problems.”

Among those problems is a court case caused when he lost his temper after he was goaded about his win in his local, the Clippens Inn, in Linwood, Renfrewshire, while having a drink with pals in March.

Celtic fan John says he snapped after a customer in the pub called him a “manky millionaire” then threatened to maim his beloved dog and hurled sectarian abuse at him.

At Paisley Sheriff Court last month John admitted assaulting two drinkers in the pub and possessing an offensive weapon, a claw hammer.

After the brawl, he decided to live full-time at the £90,000 log cabin in Wemyss Bay which he’d bought a month previously as a holiday home.

Sitting on the deck looking across to the Firth of Clyde, John shakes his head and admitted: “I’m mortified by what I did. I’m ashamed I behaved like that.

“I’m not an angel but I’m not a bad guy. I was badly provoked. I totally accept I was in the wrong.

“But there’s two sides to every story. I just wish I’d gone home earlier and not hung about.”

Sheriff James Spy has already said there’s “no point” fining John as he has so much money it would be little punishment.

Instead, he’s likely to get a long community service order.

John added: “It sounds mad but I’d like the structure the community service would give me and I’m happy to do it. It’s part of putting things right.

“I actually want to go back to work part-time as not working is giving me too much time on my hands and I’m too young to retire.

“I left school at 15 pushing a wheelbarrow, working on the roads and worked my way up to foreman and then gaffer.

“I’m planning to go back next year as a labourer, part-time.”

John worked for big construction firms and studied to be a civil engineer.

But he developed problems with drink and depression, split from his wife Teresa, 43, 10 years ago and then fell out of work.

John and Teresa remain on close terms and John is sharing part of his win with her, including paying for renovations at the house she lives in with John’s two sons and one daughter

John said: “Teresa has been my rock. I’m very lucky my kids have her as their mum.”

John also has an adult daughter Catherine, who accompanied him on his only overseas holiday since the win, a trip to Rome.

Devout Catholic John, who goes to chapel four times a week, took Catherine there with her boyfriend Ross.

“I’d like to go back to Rome,” said John. “But I feel bad spending money on myself. It’s not me to go about being flash. All I want from this win is the children to be looked after and they are.”

When John won, he swapped his two-bedroom ex-council flat for a more spacious three-bedroom house round the corner and spent thousands gutting and renovating it.

But the property brought him nothing but grief.