Elderly National Lottery Fraudster Faces More Years In Prison If He Does Not Hand Over Assets

Lottery fraudster and convicted rapist Edward Putman faces six more years in prison unless he hands over more than £900,000 ($1.2 million) within three months.

The 56-year-old man was found guilty in Oct. 2019 for using a forged National Lottery winning ticket to claim a £2.5 million ($3.3 million) jackpot in 2009 after conspiring with lottery insider Giles Knibbs, who worked in Camelot's security department.

The winning ticket, which was never claimed, was reportedly bought at a Co-op store in Worcester on March 11, 2009. It had the winning numbers 6, 9, 20, 21, and 34. On Aug. 28, 2009, before the 180-day claim deadline, Putman called Camelot to come forward as the winner. During the call with Camelot, he said he found the ticket under the seat of his van. Putman's presented ticket was missing its bottom part, which contained unique numbers. He followed it with the deliberately damaged forgery, which Camelot accepted as authentic despite missing a barcode.

The fraud began to unravel in October 2015 when the 38-year-old Knibbs committed suicide at Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. Before his death, he had confessed to friends that he and Putman had "scammed" the lottery winning.

Ahead of that, in June 2015, Putman went to the police alleging Knibbs had threatened to reveal his previous convictions for the 1999 rape of a 17-year-old girl and a benefits fraud in 2012. He also reported that Knibbs had stolen his mobile phone and damaged the wing mirror on his car.

Putman initially denied the allegation between Aug. 28 and Sept. 8, 2009, together with Knibbs, he dishonestly made a false representation, producing a fraudulent National Lottery ticket.

The fraudster, who used to work as a bricklayer, is about to lose a house and land in Kings Langley where he had planned to build a hotel, as the authorities urged him to hand over more than £900,000 ($1.2 million) within three months period, costing him all his assets which is valued at just under £940,000 ($1.2 million). If Putman failed to comply, six years would be added to the nine-year sentence he is already serving.

According to the Proceeds of Crime hearing at St Albans Crown Court on Wednesday, prosecutor Adam Pearson stated that the benefit Putman had obtained from the fraud was £2,525,495 ($3, 387,875) and the available amount for confiscation was £939,782.44 ($1,260,689). Putman's barrister Lawrence Selby said, "Mr Putman does not accept or agree the benefit figure or realisable assets, but will not be contesting these proceedings."

Putman's house in Station Road seems to be unkempt with the curtains shut and his land looks like a vehicle parking or graveyard with at least 20 cars and vans placed alongside caravans and mobile homes.