Lottery winner 'told colleague he had taken cyanide'

A British lottery winner who died after taking cyanide while at work told a colleague he had taken the deadly substance, it emerged today.

Dennis Elwell collapsed shortly after arriving at D Leonardt & Co Ltd, the Shropshire pressings firm where he worked, said sales director Nigel Parkin.

Mr Elwell, 49, was taken to Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital but was later pronounced dead.

Mr Parkin said Mr Elwell, who had shared a £1.1m (€1.72m) lottery scoop last December as part of a 12-strong syndicate, had arrived at work at the factory in Highley, near Bridgnorth, on Tuesday to start his 6am shift.

“He had arrived at work early and was having a cup of tea, as most of the workers do when they arrive, and he told one of his colleagues he had taken cyanide,” Mr Parkin told PA News.

“We don’t know whether he put this in a drink, or how he took it.”

Mr Parkin confirmed that cyanide was kept on the premises at the Highley factory, for brass, copper and gold solutions, but it was not clear whether Mr Elwell had used that particular batch.

Mr Parkin said Mr Elwell, who joined the firm in 1994 and lived in the village, had resigned and moved to Spain following his lottery win, but returned in January “for personal reasons”.

He said he was not aware of Mr Elwell having any history of depression, adding: “He seemed like a happy, hard working man.

“This has shocked all of his colleagues and particularly the village of Highley, which is a close community.”

The Health and Safety Executive has launched an investigation into the incident.