The judge said that after "considering very carefully" all the circumstances, he had no choice but to impose life sentences for the two kidnapping offences. Hendy-Freegard lounged in one of the dock chairs and looked impassive as the judge told him: "In my judgment, the several verdicts of the jury in this case represent a vindication of your victims and a telling testament to their courage, tenacity and spirit to survive and overcome adversity, despite the depths of despair to which they were driven by you." Judge Deva Pillay said the conman's victims had fallen prey to his "devious charm". Today, at least six of his victims, including lawyer Caroline Cowper - who once rated his bedroom techniques at "11 out of 10" - watched from the public gallery as Hendy-Freegard was jailed for life. Hendy-Freegard, of High Street, Blyth, Nottinghamshire, was convicted in June of 20 offences of theft, deception and "kidnapping by fraud" between 19. While they suffered, their tormentor - whose motto was "lies have to be big to be convincing" - used the cash he ordered them to beg and borrow to fund a luxury life of top of the range cars, designer suits, expensive meals and five-star holidays in Brazil and elsewhere. The court heard he and some of the other victims endured what seemed like a lifetime of poverty, carried out bizarre "missions" for Hendy-Freegard across Britain, and were left terrified by his explosive temper and claims that assassins were stalking their every move.
They included a solicitor, a psychologist, a company director and a recently married PA, who left her husband for the swindler and ended up sleeping on park benches, living on a slice of Mars Bar a day and foraging for fresh water in public lavatories.Ī student, one of two men to fall prey to Hendy-Freegard's Svengali-like powers of persuasion, handed over £300,000.īecause he thought he was being recruited to the fight against terrorism, he allowed himself to be beaten to toughen him up before abandoning his university finals for a three-year life on the run, fleeing from imaginary Republican gangs. Using a blend of "devious charm", claims that he was an MI5 agent and James Bond-type tales of shadowy IRA killers, he systematically shredded his victims' self-respect and turned most into virtual slaves.Īt least seven of his victims were women, and he got engaged to many of them, the court was told. The court, in London, was told he convinced some to go on the run from terrorists and swindled others out of huge sums of money.
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