Millionaire cheat in fraud court case

The Army major who cheated on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? failed to declare a series of insurance claims before taking out new house contents insurance, a court heard today.

Major Charles Ingram, given a suspended sentence for cheating on the TV show, today denied seven charges of deception involving more than £30,000.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard that when he applied for new insurance, Ingram should have declared losses he had claimed for in the previous three years but failed to do so.

At the opening of the trial Judge Samuel Wiggs told the jury to try Ingram solely on the charges he faced. "I suspect all of you know of him over the Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? case," he said.

The court heard that between 1991 and 1997 Ingram and his family made no less than seven claims on their Norwich Union insurance policy before Ingram changed to Zurich Municipal. But asked if he had made any claim in the past three years Ingram admitted to only one, although four had been made.

"The effect was that insurance was given to him and Zurich accepted the risk of paying out if there were any claims against that policy," said Christopher Parker, prosecuting.

Between 1997 and 2000 the Ingrams made a further four claims totalling £2,958 before changing to yet another insurance company, Direct Line. Three of the four claims had been made within the three-year period and should have been declared by Ingram but he failed to do so.

Mr Parker said it was not a question of the losses themselves being suspicious but the fact that insurance would not have been issued had the companies known of them.

The court heard how within a month of taking out his policy with Direct Line Ingram made a £30,000 claim for a burglary at his Wiltshire home. However, the claim was not met and Ingram only faces a charge of attempted deception in that case.

Ingram's wife Diana, also convicted of helping to organise the fraud on the quiz show, has not been charged in connection with the insurance fraud.

The case continues.