LONDON, England (X17online) - Simon Cowell is asking Red or Black winner Nathan Hageman to return his million-dollar prize after reports surfaced that he once served jail time for assaulting a girlfriend.

Hageman won £1 million ($1.7 million) on the debut episode of Cowell’s British game show – the most expensive in television history – last week, but reports emerged shortly after that he had previously been sentenced to five years in prison for violently attacking his then-girlfriend.

"I'd like him to give the money back but I'm not in a position to force anybody to do anything. That's why he got the money," Cowell told reporters at a press conference in London Thursday.

Hageman reportedly disclosed his criminal background to the show’s producers, but told them that the victim was male.