Rapist strikes it lucky

2004-08-11 09:46

London - A rapist and serial sex attacker serving life in a British prison has won seven million pounds on the country's National Lottery, a report said on Tuesday.

Iorworth Hoare, 52, was on temporary weekend release at a bail hostel when his lucky numbers came up in Saturday's draw, The Sun newspaper reported.

Before the huge win, Hoare - who was jailed for life in 1989 - was considered a low-security detainee at Leyhill open prison in Gloucestershire, central England, and was allowed to spend weekends away.

However now he was rich Hoare had been moved to a higher-security jail and refused leave, The Sun reported.

"There's always a danger that when you let someone out on weekend leave and they've got lorry-loads of cash, that the first thing they'll do is buy a plane ticket to Rio," an anonymous prison source told the paper.

Under official prison guidelines, prisoners on day release or community projects are allowed to take part in the lottery and claim prizes.

In an editorial on Wednesday, The Sun demanded a change to the law to prevent "vermin" like Hoare becoming rich through such wins.

According to the newspaper, Hoare began a series of brutal sex attacks while in his 20s, including one rape, attempted rapes and indecent assaults, and was jailed a string of times between 1973 and 1987.

He was jailed for life in 1989 for attempting to rape a 60-year-old woman in a park in Leeds, northern England. The paper did not specify when Hoare might be eligible for release.

Britain's Prison Service confirmed that a prisoner had won the lottery, but refused to give details.

- AFP