A convicted rapist who orchestrated a sophisticated £2.5 million National Lottery fraud has paid back a portion of his ill-gotten gains, but authorities confirm a staggering £1.25 million remains unaccounted for.
The Sophisticated Lottery Scam
Edward Putman, a 59-year-old former builder from Hertfordshire, was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2019 for his role in a brazen lottery scam. The fraud, concocted in 2009, involved an insider at Camelot, the lottery operator. Putman collaborated with Giles Knibbs, who worked in Camelot's fraud detection unit. Knibbs used his position to create a forged ticket for a £2.5 million jackpot.
The authentic winning ticket, with numbers 6, 9, 20, 21, 31, and 34, was bought from a Co-op in Worcester. Astonishingly, the counterfeit ticket presented by Putman was accepted by Camelot despite being missing its bottom half and having no barcode. Putman claimed he had discovered the ticket under his van seat, submitting it just days before the six-month deadline for claims expired.
A Trail of Deceit and Tragedy
After successfully securing the massive jackpot, Putman then proceeded to dupe his accomplice, Knibbs, out of his share of the stolen money. The betrayal and guilt weighed heavily on Knibbs, who confessed the entire scheme to his family before tragically taking his own life in 2015.
Following his suicide, police discovered notes detailing the fraud. An initial investigation was closed when Camelot could not locate the fake ticket, but the case was reopened in 2017 after a Camelot employee finally found it, leading to Putman's conviction.
This was not Putman's first serious offence. He has a disturbing criminal history, including a seven-year sentence for raping a pregnant 17-year-old in 1991. His victim described him as "a monster." Furthermore, in 2012, he was jailed for nine months for a separate £13,000 benefits fraud, committed after his lottery win.
The Financial Reckoning
Despite being ordered to repay his criminal proceeds, a significant shortfall remains. Putman has settled a £939,000 court order and paid £85,000 in interest. The Crown Prosecution Service also seized £240,000 from the sale of his derelict home in Kings Langley, which sold at auction for £1.2 million.
However, a Freedom of Information request revealed that £1.25 million is still outstanding. Putman was released from prison after serving only half of his nine-year sentence due to government plans to free up prison space. A friend of the late Giles Knibbs has labelled the situation a "scandal," noting that while Putman is free to move on, Knibbs lost his life.
