A Maldon man who gained national recognition for saving a police officer’s life and winning GBP 1 million on the lottery has died following a suspected hit-and-run collision in Essex. Anthony Canty, 39, was struck while cycling on Maldon Road in Tiptree on 21 May and died from his injuries four days later.

The Heroic Act That Started It All

Canty first made headlines in 2020 when he performed CPR on a police officer who collapsed on a bus, almost certainly saving their life. It was the kind of story that restores your faith in people, really. The sort of thing you remember.

Days after that incident, fortune dealt him an entirely different hand. Canty and his partner Katie Sullivan won GBP 1 million in the EuroMillions draw on 5 May 2020. The timing felt almost scripted. Then came the tragedy that followed, reminding you that life rarely follows a neat narrative.

Investigation Underway

Essex Police located an 18-year-old driver of a Ford KA at the scene. The teenager was initially arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs, and failing to stop following a collision. He’s since been released under investigation whilst inquiries continue.

Officers are appealing for witnesses who may have been in the area that morning. Anyone with dashcam footage or CCTV recordings is urged to come forward. The investigation is still very much active, and police believe there are people who can help piece together what happened in those critical moments.

Remembering a Decent Man

Those who knew Canty are clear about what he was about: kindness and a genuine willingness to help others. The lottery win never defined him. Neither did the CPR moment, really. What sticks is the character.

He leaves behind two children and a community that’s mourning the loss of someone who’d already shown, in the most difficult circumstances, what it means to do the right thing.

What the team thinks

Carl Mitchell says:

I appreciate Baz bringing attention to Anthony Canty’s tragic death, but as someone who’s spent years covering the human stories behind gaming wins, I think this piece misses the deeper angle about how lottery windfalls can sometimes isolate winners from their communities. Canty’s story is remarkable precisely because he stayed grounded, used his win to help others, and remained active in his local area, which is the opposite of what we typically see with big jackpot winners. His death is a genuine loss to Essex, and it’s a reminder that the lottery’s real value lies not in the money itself, but in what decent people choose to do with their second chances.