Lords rule rapist can be sued
Updated on 30 January 2008
The House of Lords has granted a victim of a lottery-winning rapist the right to sue him for a portion of his £7m prize.
This is despite the fact that he won the prize outside the time limit on claims.
The ruling, in favour of a retired teacher known in court as Mrs A, overturns the current Limitations Act which states that claims cannot be brought by victims of crime more than six years after the crime is committed.
Speaking through her solicitors, Mrs A said she was "delighted and relieved", insisting her legal battle had been motivated by principal, not financial gain.
Her case will now go back to the High Court.
