In 2004, the U.K. was shaken by the winner of its Lotto Extra draw. In an odd twist of karma, a convicted rapist won the £7 million prize.
At the time, Iorworth Hoare was on bail from Leyhill open prison in Gloucestershire, while serving a life sentence for attempted rape. He had previously been convicted for sexual assaults and rape. He bought the ticket while he was on temporary leave from prison.
This evoked an irate reaction in Britain, with Michael Howard, the leader of the Conservative Party, commenting on the bizarre nature of legal guidelines regarding prisoners playing the lottery: “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.”
Since then, his victim, Shirley Woodman, managed to win a landmark legal battle against him in 2008, suing him for damages despite her claim being made over six years after the attack. She then received a cut of his money as compensation in an out-of-court settlement.