LOTTO rapist Iorworth Hoare skulks along a country road in a village paralysed by fear – 20 years after he won the jackpot.
The 71-year-old dishevelled monster shocked the nation after picking his winning numbers whilst on day release from an open prison in August 2004.
But the quiet rural community he later moved into with his £7.2million fortune has been unable to settle ever since.
Neighbours say women are too scared to stay in alone – and some locals are even selling up.
Others drive to walking trails further afield amid fears they may bump into him on the snaking country roads they once called home.
Balding Hoare was pictured this week close to his £500,000 home as the anniversary of his jackpot win nears.
He was walking in the middle of the road clutching a carrier bag and wearing a tatty shirt and oversized jeans.
Locals told how he moved into a converted church within their tiny community in the north of England and turned their lives upside down.
One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: “Why do you think we’re trying to sell? It’s all down to him.
“I know his background. He’s been there a few years and it’s really uncomfortable.
“It’s an absolute nightmare. We see and hear him everyday. Women around here don’t want to be alone with him there.
“It is terrifying. We don’t want to live here anymore and it’s down to him.”
The neighbour told how he moved into their community in the rolling countryside after “Leave or Die” was painted on the gates of his former home.
They added: “When we tell people where we live, they all know it’s next to the Lottery rapist.
“So it’s a struggle to sell because of him. We’ve been trying for a while now.
“I am worried we will lose a lot of money on the sale. We’re fed up of the stress and worry.”
Hoare, 70, bought his winning ticket in August 2004 while on weekend leave from Leyhill open prison in Gloucestershire.
Prisoners were banned from gambling at the time, but a loophole did not include the Lotto.
He bragged to fellow inmates: “I’m going to be sound for the rest of my life.”
Hoare was released in March 2005 but authorities kept his whereabouts secret during a £10,000-a-month operation picked up by the taxpayer.
JUNE 1973: Hoare tries to rape a doctor’s wife in hospital grounds in Leeds. Jailed for three years.
NOV 1975: Jailed for four years for an attempted rape, in Exeter.
SEPT 1978: Got four years for indecent assault and assault.
1983: Jailed for seven years after indecent assault and raping housewife he dragged into woods.
MAY 1989: Got life for attack on a retired teacher in a park.
AUG 2004: Hoare scoops £7.2m on Lotto while on weekend release from an open prison.
MARCH 2005: Released and placed in a secret address
SEPT 2005: The Sun finds Hoare living in Sunderland.
JAN 2006: We find him living on a posh estate near Newcastle.
2012-2016: He repeatedly moves home to increasingly remote locations.
MAY 2016: Hoare arrested and charged with indecent exposure and assaulting a WPC. Case later dropped.
The Sun finally tracked him down to a bail hostel in Sunderland in September 2005 – much to the horror of neighbours.
Hoare used the name Edward Thomas and moved to Darras Hall near Newcastle where he lived just around the corner from footie idol Alan Shearer.
But he was prevented from having unlimited access to his money under the conditions of his licence.
Instead, he was given a monthly allowance of £8,666.
The rest of his fortune – which ballooned to more than £10million due to shrewd investments – could only be accessed with the consent of trustees.
Why do you think we’re trying to sell? It’s all down to him.
But the convicted sex attacker won full access to his money – and refuses to hide away.
Another local said: “Women who want to run and walk around here drive well out of the way as they don’t want to be near him.
“He is supposed to be rehabilitated but someone with that record is still highly dangerous. He is a menace to society.
“He glares. Of course people have looked up his record, they know what he’s capable of.
“I’m on edge and it’s always in the back of my mind that a serial rapist is just down the road.
Leeds-born Hoare hit the jackpot in 2004 while at a Middlesbrough bail hostel during weekend leave from Leyhill open jail, Gloucestershire.
He was sentenced to life in 1989 for attempting to rape former teacher Shirley Woodman, then 59, in Leeds, following other convictions including rape and indecent assaults.
At the time, Mr Justice Rougier warned: “Every moment you are at liberty, some woman is at risk.”
He was released in 2005 but was prevented from having unlimited access to his money under the conditions of his licence.
He bragged to fellow inmates: “I’m going to be sound for the rest of my life.”
Instead, he was given a monthly allowance of £8,666.
The rest of his fortune — which ballooned to more than £10million due to shrewd investments — could only be accessed with the consent of trustees, which included a Home Office official and Hoare’s lawyer and accountant.
He overturned that in a legal battle — to the fury of victims.
“He’s a creep. His behaviour is very creepy. It’s sickening to think he is there.”
Another neighbour said: “He enjoys going on long walks and goes to the shop.
“He walks into nearby villages and likes speaking to people who do not know his background. They don’t know he is a rapist.”
He was sentenced to life in 1989 for attempting to rape former teacher Shirley Woodman, then 59, in Leeds, following other convictions including rape and indecent assaults.
At the time, Mr Justice Rougier warned: “Every moment you are at liberty, some woman is at risk.”
