Robert Hendy-Freegard, a 53-year-old conman with a history of deception, was sentenced after a chaotic incident in a rural village in France, emphasizing his manipulative tendencies that span years of criminal behavior.
British Conman Sentenced to Six Years in France for Hit-and-Run Incident Involving Police
British Conman Sentenced to Six Years in France for Hit-and-Run Incident Involving Police
A notorious fraudster faces six years in a French prison for ramming his car into two gendarmes while evading arrest.
A notorious British conman, Robert Hendy-Freegard, has been sentenced to six years in prison in France after he intentionally drove his car into two policemen during a botched escape from questioning. The 53-year-old had established himself in the idyllic countryside, where he attempted to breed beagles unlawfully under a pseudonym.
Prior to this sentence, Hendy-Freegard had served four years in the UK for a string of serious offenses, including kidnap and fraud, leading to a shocking revelation of his deceptive past through two documentaries streamed on Netflix. While posing as an MI5 agent, he scammed numerous women and students out of about £1 million, but managed to secure his release when some charges were overturned on appeal.
During a court hearing in Gueret, he claimed he wasn’t hostile and expressed distress over the situation, telling the judge, "I had enough. I panicked." He offered an apology to the gendarmes, insisting that he did not stop because he was overwhelmed with emotions. However, prosecutor Alexandra Pethieu refuted his claims, stating, "That day ended up with a bewildering scene worthy of Mad Max."
Witnesses testified that the violent impact not only injured one officer but caused another to be slammed against the windscreen. Hendy-Freegard had recently moved to France with his partner, Sandra Clifton, to engage in breeding beagles; doubts about his influence over Clifton arose among neighbors, especially following the media attention surrounding their unconventional relationship.
After the broadcast of the first documentary in 2022, Clifton's family intervened to seek her safety; this prompted Hendy-Freegard to lash out, leading to the hit-and-run incident as he attempted to evade the authorities. He continued to deny exerting control over his partner and attributed the backlash to the documentaries.
According to the local mayor, Martine Laporte, this trial has reinforced suspicions about Hendy-Freegard's manipulative nature. "He really has to be stopped because if he gets out he'll start again and that's worrying," she remarked, echoing the sentiments of others who fear for the safety of those under his influence.
