Life-sentenced sex offender wins lottery in prison... controversy over receiving 17.7 billion won

Winning the First Prize Lottery Ticket Bought During Weekend Leave While Incarcerated
Enjoying a Luxurious Life After Receiving the Prize Money Following Parole

A sex offender imprisoned in the UK sparked public outrage after winning the first prize in the lottery and receiving a prize amount equivalent to about 11.7 billion KRW.

On the 16th (Korean time), The Times, The Independent, and others reported, "Sex offender Lowes Hoare (70) has claimed the entire first prize lottery winnings of ?7.2 million."

Hoare committed sexual assaults starting in his 20s and was sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison for seven sex crimes between 1973 and 1987. However, just two years after his release, in May 1989, he was arrested again for attempting to sexually assault a woman in her 60s.

While serving a life sentence, Hoare bought a lottery ticket in August 2004 and won first prize. At the time, he was incarcerated in a Category D open prison that allowed weekend leave. Hoare later hired a team of lawyers and was paroled in 2005, even boasting to fellow inmates, "I will be healthy for life."

In 2008, Hoare initiated a lawsuit to gain control over the lottery winnings. This was because the use of the lottery prize required the consent of fund managers, including Home Office officials, lawyers, and accountants.

In response, the media argued, "We must not tolerate a heinous criminal enjoying such enormous luck." Government ministers also agreed, proposing measures such as confiscating the winnings to support crime victims' funds and banning prisoners from benefiting from lottery prizes. However, public opinion was divided, with some opposing the confiscation, stating, "Taking away legally purchased lottery winnings is against justice."

Ultimately, after 15 years of legal battles, Hoare secured his rights to the winnings and collected the accrued interest. A Home Office official stated, "We tried to prevent Hoare from accessing the winnings, but legally, there was nothing we could do."

With the large sum in hand, Hoare purchased a luxury mansion in Newcastle and planned to live a lavish retirement. However, due to rejection by local residents, he had to move four times, and without the UK government's permission, he was unable to emigrate to another country.

Subsequently, sexual assault victim Shirley Woodman filed a compensation lawsuit against Hoare. Hoare's side argued that the claim period for compensation had expired and that Woodman's lawsuit was invalid. The case proceeded through UK courts and eventually to the European Court of Human Rights.

After four years of litigation, Woodman won the case, and Hoare was ordered to pay ?50,000 (about 80 million KRW) in damages and ?800,000 (about 1.3 billion KRW) in legal costs.

The Independent evaluated, "Woodman's victory set a precedent for other sexual abuse victims to claim compensation." In recognition of her contributions, the British Queen awarded Woodman a medal in 2012. Woodman passed away last year at the age of 92.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.