A UK resident, that was convicted of rape went on a shopping spree after winning a £2.5 million ($3.2 million) jackpot more than a decade ago. The man, identified as Edward Putman, bought a few properties, luxury cars and obtained other assets. It has taken quite some time for Putman’s elaborate scam to be uncovered, as he actually won the jackpot by defrauding a lottery operator. Now, he is threatened to lose his home along with other assets while remaining incarcerated for nine years over the lottery fraud.
Back in 1993, Putman was sentenced to seven years in prison after he was found guilty of raping a 17-year-old pregnant girl. That prison sentence did not help rehabilitate the man as after going out of prison, he co-conspired to defraud a lottery operator by securing a jackpot with a forged ticket.
In 2019, Putman was sentenced to nine years in prison over the lottery scam and according to the Mirror, the Court may now repossess some if not all of his assets for his debt to be settled. Initially, he was ordered to pay back £940,000 ($1.2 million). However, Putman disagreed and wanted to challenge that decision, resulting in him paying only £100,000 ($125,100) out of the money he obtained via fraud. But now the tables have turned as the Court was greenlighted to take possession of Putman’s assets to resell them and put an end to the criminal case.
Defrauding the Lottery
The elaborate lottery scam dates back to 2009. At the time, Putman co-conspired with Giles Knibbs, who worked for Camelot, the operator that runs the National Lottery in the UK. Knibbs used to work as a part of the fraud detection team of the company. Using a fake winning ticket and collaborating with Knibbs, Putman was able to collect the multi-million-dollar jackpot.
It’s not unusual for such criminal co-conspirators to see their relationship deteriorate. This was precisely what happened between Knibbs and Putman. At some point, Knibbs thought that he didn’t receive the “fair share” of the lottery prize, considering the risk he had taken. Several years after the duo pulled off the scam, Knibbs eventually admitted to the crime before his family. However, it is likely that the crime had a significant psychological impact on the young man, considering that in 2015, he took his own life.
Knibbs’ suicide marked the downfall of Putman as well, considering that he left a note revealing details regarding the crime itself. Initially, the case didn’t lift off as there was not enough evidence. However, in 2017, the fraudulent ticket was uncovered which ultimately resulted in Putman’s sentence in 2019.