Convicted rapist who scammed the National Lottery out of £2.5 million

Convicted rapist who scammed the National Lottery out of £2.5 million after forging a winning ticket faces six more years in prison unless he pays back more than £900,000

  • Edward Putman, 56, was found guilty in October 2019 of using a forged ticket 
  • He had conspired with Lottery insider Giles Knibbs, who worked at Camelot 
  • Former bricklayer previously been sentenced to seven years in prison for rape
  • Told he has to hand over more than £900,000 or face six more years in prison

A convicted rapist and fraudster who used a forged National Lottery ticket to claim a £2.5million jackpot faces six more years in prison unless he hands over more than £900,000 within three months.

Edward Putman, 56, was found guilty in October 2019 of using a forged winning ticket to claim £2.5million after he conspired with Lottery insider Giles Knibbs, who worked in Camelot’s security department.  

The former bricklayer, who told Camelot he had found the forged winning ticket under the seat of his van, was sentenced to nine years in prison for the scam. 

He had previously been sentenced to seven years in prison in 1993 after he raped a pregnant 17-year-old girl. 

In a hearing at St Albans Crown Court today, Putman was told another six years could be added to his sentence if he does not hand over his assets, valued at £939,782.44, within three months.

 Edward Putman, 56, was found guilty in October 2019 of using a forged winning ticket to claim £2.5million

The house, close to the M25, currently stands in a scruffy, unkempt state with curtains drawn shut and the land resembles a vehicle graveyard with at least twenty cars and vans parked up alongside caravans and mobile homes.

In a hearing today, prosecutor Adam Pearson said the benefit Putman had obtained from the fraud was £2,525,495 and the available amount for confiscation was £939,782.44.

His barrister Lawrence Selby said: ‘Mr Putman does not accept or agree the benefit figure or realisable assets, but will not be contesting these proceedings.’

Judge Philip Grey said he will give a formal ruling later, but would impose a further six years in prison if the money was not paid within three months.

During his trial the jury heard Putman had conspired with Lottery insider Giles Knibbs, who worked in Camelot’s security department, to present a fake ticket.

The actual winning ticket, which was never claimed, was bought at a Co-op store in Worcester on March 11, 2009.   

One August 28 that year, just before the 180-day claim deadline, Putman called Camelot to come forward as the winner and said he found the ticket under the seat of his van.

Putman was told another six years could be added to his sentence if he does not hand over his assets, valued at £939,782.44

He had previously been sent to prison for seven years in 1993 after he raped a pregnant 17-year-old girl

Putman called Camelot to come forward as the winner and said he found the ticket under the seat of his van. The ticket was accepted as authentic even though it was missing a barcode

Putman submitted the ticket and it was accepted as authentic by Camelot even though it was missing a barcode.

Although he pocketed the winnings, Putman, of Kings Langley, was sentenced in 2012 to nine months for a benefit fraud after claiming £13,000 in housing and income support.

The fraud then began to unravel on October 5, 2015 when Mr Knibbs, 38, took his own life.

He had confessed to friends that he had ‘conned’ the Lottery before his death.    

In June 2015, Putman went to the police alleging Mr Knibbs had threatened to reveal his previous convictions for the rape of a 17-year-old girl and a benefits fraud in 2012. 

He also reported that Mr Knibbs had stolen his mobile phone and damaged the wing mirror on his car.

Putman denied that between August 28 and September 8, 2009, together with Giles Knibbs, he dishonestly made a false representation, namely produced a fraudulent National Lottery ticket, intending to make a gain, namely £2,525,485 for himself. 

However he was convicted by a jury and sentenced to nine years in prison.

Passing sentence at the time, Judge Grey said the ‘sophisticated, carefully planned, and diligently operated fraud’ struck at the heart of the integrity of the National Lottery.

The former bricklayer could lose his house and land in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire in Hertfordshire

He said: ‘You would have got away with this but quite plainly you were greedy.

‘Whatever the exact monetary split you and Mr Knibbs had agreed, you did not pay him what split he felt he was owed. The two of you fell out spectacularly.

‘This crime struck at the integrity of the National Lottery. You have also undermined the public’s trust in the Lottery itself.’

In 2012, Putman was sentenced to nine months for benefit fraud after going on to claim £13,000 in housing and income support despite his jackpot win. 

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