THE daughter of a woman who was the victim of the rapist who won £7.2 million on the National Lottery has called on him to donate some of his winnings to charity.
Shelley Wolfson, 67, from Bradford, West Yorks, was reacting to the news that Iorworth Hoare has won a 15-year legal battle to keep the money, which he scooped while on weekend leave.
He was sentenced to life in prison in 1989 for the attempted rape of Ms Wolfson’s late mother Shirley Woodman.
Speaking to GB News Breakfast, Ms Wolfson said she’d be happy to meet Hoare.
She said: “My preference would be for him to donate at least the interest on that, plus there’s 15 years interest on £7.2 million, that’s a lot.
“So I would prefer him to donate at least some of that to charity and I’d be happy to meet with him and discuss which charities.
“That’s the only thing that he can do that would make things right, it’s not necessarily going to take things away.”
In a discussion during Breakfast with Eamonn Holmes and Isabel Webster, she said: “The law is the law, at the end of the day so he’s entitled to it.
“I’m indifferent to the whole thing. It makes no difference to me whatsoever. And it certainly doesn’t make any difference to mum because she’s not here but she would feel the same.
“If you carry on bearing a grudge, it’s like cancer, it eats you up. You know, there’s just no point, but it’s his millions.
“Why can’t he spend it, he’s won it fair and square according to the law, so who am I to say that he can’t have it?”
She added: “My mum lived a very fruitful full life, even after the attack, albeit, you know, she did go through some terrible times.
“But there’s no point in me going in and sitting in judgement. He served his sentence. There’s nothing I can do and it’s up to him actually, not me.
“I will not be pursuing him. But if he, as a gesture, if he reaches out then I will go.”
Asked about prisoners being allowed to buy lottery tickets, she said: “Well, the judiciary has had 20 years to sort this out.
“This shouldn’t be coming up now if the law was that any serving prisoner should not be allowed to take part in any form of gambling.”
