Netflix release official trailer for The Tinder Swindler
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The Puppet Master is on Netflix now and the true-crime documentary features anecdotes from some of Robert Freegard’s victims. Freegard had worked as a car salesman, but he posed as an MI5 agent to con people out of money for witness protection. Express.co.uk has all you need to know about where Freegard and his partner Sandra Clifton are now.
Where are Robert Freegard and Sandra Clifton now?
Robert Freegard posed as a secret agent who drove victims away from their families, convincing them they were being pursued by the IRA (Irish Republican Army).
He would meet people in different social situations, revealing he worked for MI5, tracking down IRA extremists.
Once winning over his victims, he would isolate them from their families and loved ones, put them through loyalty tests and made them pay money to secure their safety.
Two of his victims, John Atkinson and Sarah Smith, spoke on the Netflix documentary about how in 1993, Freegard had introduced himself to them as Rob.
Eventually, Rob managed to cut John and Sarah off from one another, keeping Sarah in horrific conditions.
She remained ‘on the run’ from the IRA for almost 10 years before she was found.
He was arrested in 2002 at Heathrow Airport as part of a sting operation organised by Scotland Yard and the FBI.
At the time, he had been scheming against his American girlfriend – a child psychologist.
In 2005 he was given a life sentence for two counts of kidnapping, 10 of theft and eight of deception.
However, after Freegard appealed against his kidnapping convictions, he only served nine years in prison.
One of the women who chose to stay with Freegard having known who he was, was mother-of-two Sandra Clifton.
Her children, Sophie and Jake, spoke on the Netflix documentary of how their mother met a man called ‘David’ on a dating site in 2011.
Sandra is still with Freegard, and she still makes contact with her children on occasion.
However, she has never disclosed the pair’s location.
Sandra’s ex-husband, Mark, took it upon himself to try and track down Sandra and bring her back to her children.
In the final episode of the documentary, Mark visited a contact who had claimed to have been conned out of money by Freegard.
The contact had bought pedigree Beagles from Freegard and Clifton had made some contact with her via text and email.
She is heard saying: “I had an advert for a litter of puppies on the internet and received a text from him.
“He introduced himself as David Clifton and went on to tell me that my Beagles weren’t very good quality.
“I started going into business with him and I was never allowed to be in contact with the people I was buying the dogs from.
“He’s bringing the dogs backwards and forwards from France.” She proceeded to show Mark a list of transactions she had made to Sandra Clifton’s bank account.
Having researched who the man was, she discovered Freegard’s true identity.
She said: “I don’t know anything about Sandra other than I was told that she’s disappeared and her family haven’t seen her for six years.”
The makers of the documentary made numerous attempts to contact Freegard and Clifton. Freegard had not provided a response to the allegations made in the series.
It is not known whether Clifton ever received the messages sent to her.
The Puppet Master is on Netflix from January 18.
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