Rapist gets hands on £7.2m lottery winnings 35 years after brutal attack

A rapist who won the lottery on day release has been granted his £7.2million winnings 35 years after he attacked a woman in a park.

From 1973 Iorworth Hoare, 70, spent 30 years in jail for one rape, three attempted rapes and two indecent assaults.

In 1988 he attempted to rape Shirley Woodman, then 59, as she walked through Roundhay Park, Leeds.

READ MORE: Woman sues National Lottery claiming they must pay her £1m for £10 prize

Shirley’s daughter has now urged her mother's attacker to donate this newfound cash to charity, just as her late mum did with the damages he was forced to pay her, reports the Mirror.

Hoare has gained full access to his £7.2m fortune after a 15-year legal dispute. He bought his winning ticket in August 2004, while on weekend leave from Leyhill open prison, Gloucestershire.

He was prevented from having unlimited access to his money under the conditions of his release on licence, and was understood to initially have a monthly allowance of £8,666 after he left jail in 2005.

The rest of the £7.2m could only be accessed with the consent of the fund trustees – a Home Office official, his lawyer and his accountant. He began legal action to win control of the money in 2008 and can now access it, plus interest.

A Home Office source said: “There was nothing legally which could be done to stop him in the end.”

Shirley’s daughter Shelley Wolfson, 67, told the Mirror: “She gave all the money away to charity and it’s what he should be doing with his money. He can do good with that money, like my mum did.”

Hoare had been serving life for his attack on Shirley when he won in 2004 and she was incensed when she heard, telling the BBC in 2012: “It seemed wrong that he had been in prison at our expense – that is, the taxpayers’ expense. He should be paying back that money.

“The victims also got money from the state and he should be paying that back.”

She sued Hoare for damages but he used the law of limitations, which put a six-year limit on claims for compensation, to fight her claim.

In 2011, Shirley won her case in the High Court and was awarded £50,000 compensation, which she gave away, anonymously, to good causes.

Hoare also had to pay her legal bill of £537,885 and his own £239,583 costs.

It paved the way for others, such as Jimmy Savile’s victims and Rotherham survivors, to claim compensation.

Shirley waived her right to anonymity when she received an MBE from the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2012.

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Hoare has used his money to build a property portfolio and art collection, including a Picasso “Bull” sketch.

He now lives in a beautiful detached property in rolling countryside with his long-term partner having fled his previous home when “Leave or Die” was daubed on his gate.

He told the Mirror: “I have nothing to say. I’m not saying owt.”

The Ministry of Justice said: “Off­­enders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and will be recalled if they break the rules.”

If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Victim Support for free, confidential advice on 08 08 16 89 111 or visit their website, www.victimsupport.org.uk.

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