It is an astounding story of fraud, exploitation and abuse. The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman is a jaw-dropping three-part series about one of the world’s most audacious scam artists who posed as an undercover spy to fleece at least seven women and one man.
Over the course of a decade, Robert Hendy-Freegard stole close to a million pounds from his traumatised victims - leading them to believe they were accomplices in highly-elaborate, secret service operations and their families were in danger if they did not obey. READ MORE:ITV This Morning viewers tell Holly Willoughby to 'watch out' as they make Josie Gibson decision Hendy-Freegard exploited, abused and controlled them with extreme cruelty, confident his victims were too paralysed by fear to escape.
And the story reaches into the present day - with a family who fear for their mother’s safety. Although hard to believe, The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman is based on real events.
The true-crime documentary is streaming on Netflix now. Hendy-Freegard, now 50, was born in Dronfield, north east Derbyshire, and started off working as a barman and car salesman.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk