Judge cuts coughing major's court costs

A judge today accused game show cheats Charles and Diana Ingram of "cynically manipulating" their finances to avoid paying back money they owe the taxpayer - but agreed to halve their contributions to defence costs.

Trial judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC said the couple, who were convicted of lying their way to the top prize on ITV's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, had "very deliberately relegated" public funds used to pay for their case to "the bottom of their list of priorities".

Ex-Army major Ingram and his wife, both 41, and Welsh college lecturer Tecwen Whittock were found guilty of deception last year and given suspended jail sentences, hefty fines and told to pay court costs. Whittock, 55, head of business studies at Pontypridd College, settled his defence costs soon after the trial.

But the Ingrams, of Easterton, near Devizes in Wiltshire, went back to Southwark Crown Court in August to ask the judge to cut their combined defence contribution of £65,000. Today Judge Rivlin accepted his initial order had been too high and ruled that Ingram's costs should be reduced from £40,000 to £25,000 and his wife's from £25,000 to £5,000, leaving £30,000 to pay.

On the game show, Ingram was prompted by coughs from Whittock, who sat among the other contestants, to steer him to the correct answers.

The judge said Charles Ingram had put "a substantial portion" of his finances "beyond the reach of the court". He blew £5,000 on the stockmarket, the court heard, and £11,000 on a new car. He settled credit card bills and paid his children's public school fees.

"As a result, the public, who had funded their case, were deliberately relegated to bottom of their list of priorities," said Judge Rivlin. "They now come before the court pleading poverty."