Neighbours of £7.2m Lotto rapist say they’re residing ‘a nightmare’

Neighbours of Lotto rapist Iorworth Hoare say they are living ‘an absolute nightmare’ after he moved into a £500,000 house in their quiet village.

Hoare, 71, won a £7.2 million fortune in the lottery on day one of his weekend release from an open prison in August 2004.

He had been jailed for life in May 1989 after trying to rape a retired teacher in Leeds, but also had six other convictions, including rape, dating back to 1973. 

He now lives in a small, rural community, where neighbours say women are too scared to stay home alone and some are even trying to sell up to get away from him.

Others drive to walking trails further away to avoid bumping into him on the country roads near where they live.

Hoare was pictured walking in the village this week as the 20th anniversary of his shocking jackpot nears.

He was seen walking in the middle of the road holding a carrier bag and wearing a tatty shirt and oversized jeans.

Locals have said he moved into a converted church in their village in the north of England, turning their lives upside down in the process.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said they ‘see and hear him every day’ and that they don’t want to live there anymore.

They told The Sun: ‘Why do you think we’re trying to sell? It’s all down to him.

‘I know his background. He’s been there a few years and it’s really uncomfortable.

‘It’s an absolute nightmare. We see and hear him everyday. Women around here don’t want to be alone with him there.

‘It is terrifying. We don’t want to live here anymore and it’s down to him.’

They added: ‘When we tell people where we live, they all know it’s next to the Lottery rapist.

‘So it’s a struggle to sell because of him. We’ve been trying for a while now.

‘I am worried we will lose a lot of money on the sale. We’re fed up of the stress and worry.’

They explained that Hoare moved to the area after ‘Leave or Die’ was painted on the gates of his former home.

Another local said: ‘Women who want to run and walk around here drive well out of the way as they don’t want to be near him.

‘He is supposed to be rehabilitated but someone with that record is still highly dangerous. He is a menace to society.

‘He glares. Of course people have looked up his record, they know what he’s capable of.

‘I’m on edge and it’s always in the back of my mind that a serial rapist is just down the road.

‘He’s a creep. His behaviour is very creepy. It’s sickening to think he is there.

A third resident said: ‘He enjoys going on long walks and goes to the shop.

‘He walks into nearby villages and likes speaking to people who do not know his background. They don’t know he is a rapist.’

Hoare has a long history of sex crimes.

In June 1973, he tried to rape a doctor’s wife in hospital grounds in Leeds and was jailed for three years.

In November 1975, he was jailed for four years for an attempted rape in Exeter.

In September 1978, he was given four years behind bars for indecent assault and assault.

In 1983, he was sentenced to seven years for the indecent assault and rape of a housewife he dragged into the woods.

After his final conviction in 1989, he spent 15 years in prison before buying a winning Lotto Extra ticket while on weekend release from Leyhill open prison in Gloucestershire.

Prisoners were banned from gambling at the time, but a loophole did not include the Lotto.

PICTURES????? 

 He bragged to his fellow inmates at the time: ‘I’m going to be sound for the rest of my life.’

Hoare was eventually released from prison in March 2005, but authorities kept his whereabouts secret during a £10,000-a-month operation paid for by the taxpayer.

He was prevented from having unlimited access to his money under the conditions of his license – instead, he was given a monthly allowance of £8,666.

The rest of his fortune, which grew to more than £10 million due to smart investments, could only be accessed with the consent of trustees: a Home Office official, his lawyer and his accountant.

However,  he launched a legal case in 2008 and, after a long 15-year dispute, he eventually gained full access to his winnings.

His portfolio includes a fine art collection and property, which is said to earn him hundreds of thousands every year.

However, there have been costly legal cases to drain his bank balance. 

One of his victims, Shirley Woodman, a retired teacher who he attempted to rape during her lunchtime walk in Roundhay Park in 1988, sued him for damages when she heard of his win.

Hoare contested the claim using the statute of limitations, which limits the time period after a crime in which the injured party can bring forward a claim.

He argued that victims of sex attacks must make their claim within six years.

In 2008, Mrs Woodman fought to get the law changed, taking the case to the House of Lords and winning a groundbreaking ruling from the Law Lords.

Now, in the cases of serious assaults, courts have the discretion to extend that time limit.

Hoare was forced to pay out around £800,000 in legal costs, as well as a £50,000 settlement to Mrs Woodman. 

Mrs Woodman donated her money to charity and her daughter Shelley Wolfson, 67, has said Hoare should give his money to charity, just as her ‘wonderful’ mother did.

This legal breakthrough has led to other victims of historical sexual abuse, such as those abused by Jimmy Saville and survivors of Rotherham grooming gangs, to be able to claim compensation.

Throughout the case, Mrs Woodman was known only as Mrs A, but later waived her right to anonymity after being awarded an MBE in 2012.

She told the BBC at the time: ‘It was a fantastic struggle. It was a long and traumatic one and it was very hard at times.’ 

She said she was ‘very proud’ to receive an MBE after being nominated by her daughter.

Mrs Woodman, who was formerly the headteacher of the Netherlands Avenue School in Bradford, was 59 at the time of her attack. 

She died aged 92 in 2022.

In the years since his release from prison, the Lotto rapist has moved around a lot.

The Sun newspaper tracked him to a bail hostel in Sunderland in September 2005, leaving residents in the area scandalised.

Using the name Edward Thomas, he moved to Darras Hall near Newcastle, in the neighbourhood where Alan Shearer lives, in January 2006.

Between 2012 and 2016, he moved around to increasingly remote locations.

In May 2016, he was arrested and charge with indecent exposure and assaulting a female police officer, but the case was later dropped.

Now, he is one of the most feared people in his village, with residents saying last year that his presence is like a black cloud over them.