For nearly a decade, the shocking details of Edward Putman's sophisticated £2.5 million National Lottery fraud have been meticulously uncovered, revealing a life defined by deception and appalling acts of cruelty.
The Foundation of a Fraud
The elaborate scam began in 2009, built upon an unlikely friendship between dominant fraudster Edward Putman and mild-mannered Giles Knibbs, who worked in Camelot's own fraud detection unit. Together, they orchestrated one of the most brazen lottery cons in UK history.
Using a deliberately damaged fake ticket, Putman successfully claimed a £2.5 million jackpot. The fraud went undetected for seven years, during which time Putman indulged in a lavish lifestyle, spending his illicit gains on BMW cars and luxury holidays.
A Trail of Violence and Deceit
Putman's criminal tendencies were established long before the lottery scam. His life of crime included a conviction for rape in 1991, with further allegations of domestic violence and benefit fraud forming a disturbing backdrop to his later actions.
Over the past ten years, Mirror reporter Dan Warburton has forensically investigated Putman's web of deception, speaking to Camelot insiders, whistleblowers, and Putman's former partners and friends. Their accounts paint a picture of a man without limits to his cruelty.
Those close to him described harrowing abuse, including allegations that he burnt his ex-partner's children's pet rabbit and guinea pig alive. After successfully pulling off the lottery scam, friends reported his brazen confidence, with Putman allegedly mimicking the Harry Enfield character Stanley while boasting in a Brummie accent: "I'm considerably richer than you."
The Unraveling and Aftermath
The sophisticated con finally collapsed in 2016 when the Gambling Commission fined National Lottery operator Camelot £3 million for poor controls that allowed the fake ticket to win. Through examination of council papers and land registry documents, it was revealed that Putman had shelled out £466,000 in cash to buy his lover's home, which he subsequently turned into a junkyard for rusting vehicles.
Putman was eventually jailed for his crimes, though he walked free less than halfway through his prison sentence under crisis plans to ease prison overcrowding. After his imprisonment, the property he purchased was torched by arsonists.
Recently, police revealed that Putman has finally settled a Proceeds of Crime Act court order, though the whereabouts of more than £1 million he pocketed from the scam may never be known. What remains undeniable is the haunting effect Putman's lifetime of criminal behaviour has had on everyone around him.
