The Real Story of 'The Puppet Master'
Robert Hendy-Freegard, infamously known as "The Puppet Master," was at the center of an exceptional story of deception and exploitation. The 51-year-old British man posed as an MI5 secret agent to control and manipulate his victims, a disturbing testament to the depths of human cunning and the vulnerability of trust.
The Deceptive Charmer
Robert Hendy-Freegard, born in 1971, was an unassuming car salesman from Dronfield, Derbyshire. His unremarkable background belied a talent for psychological manipulation that would allow him to lead a double life as a master con artist. Hendy-Freegard's typical con involved convincing his victims that he was an undercover MI5 agent, embroiled in dangerous and covert operations.
His reign of deceit began in the early 1990s when he trapped his first victims, students at Harper Adams Agricultural College in Shropshire, using a mixture of charm, intimidation, and fabricated stories of Irish Republican Army (IRA) threats, which were of genuine concern in 1990s Britain. Having persuaded student John Atkinson of his spy story, Hendy-Freegard moved to recruit him to his cause as an informant for his classmates. The con escalated when he convinced Atkinson that their cover had been blown, and they, along with two women, Sarah Smith and Maria Hendy, went on the run. He convinced them to cut ties with their families and live on the run with him, staying in safehouses across Britain.
The Elaborate Ruse
Hendy-Freegard's cons were meticulously crafted. He would initiate relationships, both romantic and platonic, and gradually introduce the idea of his covert MI5 identity. His victims, believing they were aiding a government operative, would surrender their money, freedom, and sometimes even their sense of self. Over the next 10 years, he led Smith to believe that her life was in constant danger from the IRA. She handed over her £300,000 family inheritance and changed her identity multiple times, all under the control of "The Puppet Master." Atkinson shelled out £400,000 to Hendy-Freegard for witness protection, while Hendy-Freegard would simply spend their money on a lavish lifestyle. As for Hendy, she began a romantic relationship with Hendy-Freegard that would last for nine years, produce two children, and lead to him adding her surname to his own.
The Fall of the Puppet Master
Hendy-Freegard's downfall came in 2002 after he began a relationship with an American child psychologist, Kimberly Adams. Her family grew suspicious of Hendy-Freegard's claims and contacted the FBI, leading to a joint investigation with Scotland Yard. In 2005, he was arrested and subsequently found guilty on two counts of kidnapping, 10 counts of theft, and eight counts of deception. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, though the court later removed his kidnapping charges. Hendy-Freegard later won his appeal and was released from prison in 2009.
Free to Con Again
In 2012, mother-of-two Sandra Clifton met a man calling himself "David Hendy" on a dating app. The two began dating, but very quickly, "David" became controlling and forced Clifton's children to move out of the family home. In 2014, the couple disappeared, only for Sandra to be found and questioned by police a year later. She told officers that she knew her boyfriend was a con man, and she intended to stay with him and not return to her family.
But the story doesn't end there. In August 2022, two French police officers responded to complaints and concerns from residents of the Vidaillat, Creuse community in France about a dog breeding facility run by Hendy-Freegard and Clifton. When Hendy-Freegard arrived, he drove into the officers and sped away, causing them severe injuries. Hendy-Freegard was arrested about a week later by Belgian authorities and deported back to France, where he is currently imprisoned awaiting trial. If convicted, he could get over 30 years in prison.
The story of Robert Hendy-Freegard is a chilling reminder of the power of manipulation and the susceptibility of trust. His ability to exploit the fears and loyalties of his victims speaks volumes about the darker aspects of human psychology.
References: The real story of The Puppet Master conman | Netflix Puppet Master's flight from French police to be reconstructed
