Long battle over park sex attack

Rapist Hoare bought the winning ticket while on day release

It has proved a long and costly battle for retired schoolteacher Mrs A to secure the right to claim compensation from the millionaire who attacked her in a Leeds park nearly two decades ago.

When Iorworth Hoare, already a convicted sex attacker, was jailed for life in 1989 for attempting to rape her, he had no financial assets.

Mrs A was awarded £5,000 from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

But five years later, Hoare became a millionaire, sharing a £21m Lotto Extra jackpot with a ticket he bought while on release from Leyhill open prison in Gloucester.

His cash win prompted widespread calls for the law to be changed to stop prisoners from playing the lottery.

'Unpalatable'

The then Tory leader, Michael Howard, said there seemed to be "something very odd in the arrangements" that allowed prisoners to play the lottery.

He said: "Prisoners are not allowed to do the football pools, they are not allowed to buy premium bonds but they are allowed to buy lottery tickets. That doesn't seem to make sense."

But the Home Office insisted it could not stop Hoare receiving his lottery win, though his access to it would be restricted while he was in custody.

In a statement it said it was "clearly unpalatable" that he had won the lottery but the department "recognised that we cannot act retrospectively in relation to this individual."

There were also widespread calls for some of the money to be given to Hoare's victims, including Mrs A.

'Violent and disgusting'

Retired detective chief inspector Mick Grubb, who arrested Hoare for sex offences, said: "I can't think of a less deserving person to win £7 million.

"He should put some towards compensation for his victims."

For Mrs A, it was the beginnings of a protracted legal battle for compensation for what she described as a "violent and disgusting sexual assault" which left her mentally scarred.

Her campaign so far has taken more than three years and left her considerably out of pocket.

After her 2005 damages action was struck out and a subsequent High Court appeal failed, she was ordered to pay an estimated £100,000 towards Hoare's legal costs.

But she took her case to the Law Lords, asking them to modify the law which barred her from taking action because she was outside a six-year time limit.

The Law Lords ruled unanimously in favour of Mrs A on Wednesday.

The case will now be sent back to the High Court to be reconsidered, and Mrs A will finally learn if she will win compensation for the 1988 attack.