The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman

Robert Hendy-Freegard is a British con man who pretends to be an MI5 spy. The three-part documentary follows the friends, partners, and families he tricks from the 1990s into the 2010s. He tells people that enemies are hunting them, then makes them hide, cut off loved ones, and hand over money. The story moves between his early crimes and the later case of Sandra Clifton, whose children fear that he has taken control of her life. The tone is tense, sad, and disturbing, with real interviews, old records, maps, and short acted scenes.

The series shows how fear, love, lies, and isolation can make sensible people obey cruel orders for years. Sarah Smith describes being taken away from her family, while her father Peter spends a decade trying to find her. Jake and Sophie Clifton explain how their mother’s new partner damaged their family and left them unable to reach her. The final episode follows the police trap, the court case, and the painful fact that Sandra is still out of reach. The main themes are fraud, family loyalty, and the lasting harm caused by abuse.