The Leeds retiree who changed the law against all odds

It was that ruling - to the law of limitations - which has since opened the door for victims of historical abuse to come forward, such as those of Jimmy Savile and other high-profile entertainers.

Her attacker, Iorworth Hoare, had been jailed for life for attempting to rape her in Roundhay Park, north Leeds in 1998, when she was 59. At the time he had previous convictions for rape, two further attempt rapes and three indecent assaults.

But in 2004, while on day release from prison, Hoare bought a National Lottery ticket which netted him a £7m jackpot.

Mrs Woodman sued Hoare for damages when she heard of his win but he used the law of limitations to fight her claim.

Against the odds, the retired teacher - known only as ‘Mrs A’ at the time - spent four years pursuing her case through the courts before eventually winning at the European Court of Justice.

She was emboldened in her quest though her relationship with The Yorkshire Post’s sister paper the Yorkshire Evening Post (YEP), who together with its legal team DLA Piper, agreed to foot the bill should she lose.

This year, as the YEP celebrates its 125th anniversary, Mrs Woodman, now 86, has spoken out about the power of local press and her gratitude towards the paper - the “catalyst” behind her fight for justice.

Mrs Woodman - who waived her anonymity when she received an MBE in 2012 - said: “It was a good ending. The good ending didn’t annihilate what had happened before but something came out of it which has benefited other people. And I feel so strongly about the part the YEP played in it. Without the YEP I couldn’t have done it.”

She said learning about Hoare’s win was “worse than the aftermath of the actual attack”.

“I was so upset - shattered, bewildered and frightened. I just closed the door and wouldn’t go out. I was absolutely terrified. Now he’d won £7m he could afford to find me.”

It was an article by YEP’s feature editor at the time, Anne Pickles, which echoed so closely her views - that he should be made to pay - that first caught her eye and sparked a close relationship.

During a “little conference” at Mrs Woodman’s home in Leeds with Anne, DLA Piper, a police officer and a solicitor for West Yorkshire Police, all agreed to try and change the law. She said: “We were willing to try. We had to bring it to the notice of the general population and the legal profession and to the law lords. This anomaly was denying people the chance to assert their rights.”

She said: “The article that Anne Pickles wrote was the catalyst which set off a process which finally resulted in a change in the law. That’s probably one of the most important things the YEP has done.”

Mrs Woodman went on to receive an out-of-court settlement from Hoare, which she gave away to charity.

She said: “It was a journey but it ended well and just in time for the Savile victims and these victims of the entertainers who have been pulled out of the woodwork. Everytime I hear of someone who’s taken someone to court, I go ‘yes, another one!’.”