‘Terrified’ neighbours of £7.2million lottery rapist Iorworth Hoare say they are living in a ‘nightmare’ and are too scared to stay home alone after he moved into a £500,000 converted church in their village

• Hoare bought a winning lottery ticket during his weekend release from prison in 2004

Neighbours of lottery 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 lottery prize of £7.2 million on his first day of release from open prison at the weekend in August 2004.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment in May 1989 for attempting to rape a retired teacher in Leeds, but he had already been convicted of six other cases, including rape, since 1973.

He now lives in a small rural community where neighbors say women are too afraid to stay home alone, and some even try to sell their homes to escape him.

Others travel to more distant hiking trails to avoid encountering him on the country roads near where they live.

Hoare was photographed strolling through the village this week, just before the 20th anniversary of his shock jackpot win.

He was seen walking in the middle of the street, carrying a shopping bag and wearing a torn shirt and oversized jeans.

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

A neighbor who wishes to remain anonymous said he sees and hears him “every day” and does not want to live there anymore.

They told The Sun: “Why do you think we are trying to sell? It’s all up to him.”

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

“It’s an absolute nightmare. We see and hear him every day. The women here don’t want to be alone with him.

“It’s terrible. We don’t want to live here anymore and it’s his fault.”

They added: “If we tell people where we live, they all know we live next door to the lottery rapist.”

“Because of him, it’s difficult to sell the product. We’ve been trying for a while now.

“I’m afraid we’ll lose a lot of money when we sell. We’re tired of the stress and worry.”

They explained that Hoare had moved to the area after the words “Go or Die” were painted on the gates of his former home.

Another local said: “Women who want to walk around here drive far out of the way because they don’t want to be near him.”

“He should be rehabilitated, but someone with this past is still extremely dangerous. He is a threat to society.”

“He’s staring at me angrily. Of course people have checked his past, they know what he’s capable of.

“I’m nervous and I’m constantly thinking that there’s a serial rapist lurking just around the corner.”

“He’s a creep. His behavior is very creepy. The thought of him being there makes me sick.”

A third resident said: “He enjoys taking long walks and shopping.”

“He goes to the surrounding villages and likes to talk to people who don’t know his past. They don’t know that he is a rapist.”

Hoare has a long history of sexual crimes.

In June 1973, he attempted to rape a doctor’s wife on the hospital grounds in Leeds and was sentenced to three years in prison.

In November 1975 he was sentenced to four years in prison for attempted rape in Exeter.

In September 1978, he was sentenced to four years in prison for sexual assault and assault.

In 1983, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for indecently assaulting and raping a housewife whom he had dragged into the forest.

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

Gambling was forbidden for prisoners at that time, but a loophole in the law did not apply to lotteries.

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He boasted to his fellow inmates at the time: “I will be healthy for the rest of my life.”

Hoare was finally released from prison in March 2005, but authorities kept his whereabouts secret during a taxpayer-funded operation costing £10,000 a month.

The terms of his licence denied him unrestricted access to his money – instead he received a monthly allowance of £8,666.

The rest of his fortune, which had grown to over ten million pounds thanks to shrewd investments, could only be accessed with the consent of trustees: a Home Office official, his lawyer and his accountant.

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However, in 2008, he filed a lawsuit and, after a long legal battle lasting 15 years, finally gained full access to his winnings.

His portfolio includes an art collection and real estate that reportedly earns him hundreds of thousands every year.

However, costly legal proceedings ensued, which placed a heavy burden on his bank account.

One of his victims, Shirley Woodman, a retired teacher whom he attempted to rape during her lunchtime stroll in Roundhay Park in 1988, sued him for damages when she learned of his victory.

Hoare contested the claim on the grounds that there is a statute of limitations, which limits the period of time after a crime in which the injured party can make a claim.

He argued that victims of sexual assault must file their claims within six years.

In 2008, Ms Woodman fought for a change in the law, taking the case to the House of Lords and winning a groundbreaking ruling.

In cases of serious bodily harm, it is now at the discretion of the courts to extend this period.

Hoare had to pay around £800,000 in legal costs and £50,000 in compensation to Ms Woodman.

Mrs Woodman donated her money to charity and her daughter Shelley Wolfson, 67, said Hoare should donate his money to charity like her “wonderful” mother did.

This legal breakthrough has meant that other victims of past sexual abuse, such as the victims of Jimmy Saville and the survivors of the Rotherham grooming gangs, can now claim compensation.

Throughout the case, Ms Woodman was known only as Ms 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 fight. It was long and traumatic and very tough at times.”

She said she was “very proud” to receive an MBE following her daughter’s nomination.

Ms Woodman, the former headteacher of Netherlands Avenue School in Bradford, was 59 at the time of her attack.

She died in 2022 at the age of 92.

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

In September 2005, The Sun newspaper tracked him down at a probation home in Sunderland, causing a scandal among local residents.

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

Between 2012 and 2016 he moved to increasingly remote locations.

In May 2016, he was arrested and charged with causing a public nuisance and assault on a policewoman, but the case was later dropped.

Today he is one of the most feared people in his village. Last year, residents said his presence hung over them like a black cloud.