Iorworth Hoare, 70, bought the winning ticket while in Leyhill Prison in Gloucestershire, UK, in August 2004, The Mirror reported.
Hoare, who had six previous convictions for charges including rape and attempted rape, was serving a life sentence for attempting to rape teacher Shirley Woodman.
After he was released from prison in 2005, he was not allowed full access to his lottery winnings due to his release conditions, but was reportedly receiving a monthly allowance of $10,766, The Mirror said.
Hoare was only able to access the rest of the earnings with the consent of the fund’s administrators, consisting of a government official, his lawyer and his accountant.
He launched legal proceedings to gain control of his fortune in 2008 and has now been given full access to the money.
A Home Office source told The Mirror: “There was nothing that could be done legally to finally stop him.”
The family of Woodman, who died last year, urged Hoare to donate his earnings to charity, as he did with the compensation he paid her.
“She donated all the money to charity and that’s what he should do with his money. He can do good with this money – just like my mother did,” the teacher’s daughter, Shelley Wolfson, told the Mirror.
After discovering that Hoare had won the lottery, Woodman fought for compensation, even though the six-year deadline for launching such claims had passed.
A judge ruled in his favour, and Hoare eventually had to pay £50,000 ($62,000) in damages and almost £800,000 ($993,000) in legal costs.
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