Charles Ingram
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Charles Ingram is an ex-British Army Major who made headlines in the United Kingdom by being accused of cheating on the television show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Despite later being convicted of conspiracy and deception, Ingram maintains he did not cheat.
The show was recorded on September 10, 2001. Ingram won the £1,000,000 prize, but the payout was suspended when he was accused of cheating by having an accomplice (Tecwen Whittock) cough when he read out the correct answer. Following a trial at Southwark Crown Court lasting a month, Major Ingram, his wife Mrs Diana Ingram and Mr Tecwen Whittock were convicted of conspiracy and "procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception" on 7 April 2003. Ingram and his wife were each given suspended 18-month prison sentences and fined £15,000, while Whittock received a 12-month suspended sentence and was fined £10,000.
In October 2003, Ingram was convicted on two charges of deception in an insurance case and given a two-year conditional discharge. Charles Ingram and his wife Diana participated in the Channel Four programme Wife Swap earlier that month.
A civil engineering graduate from the University of London, in 1986 he trained for the army at Sandhurst and was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Engineers. He was promoted to the rank of Major in 1995, but on 24 July 2003 the British Army ordered Charles Ingram to resign his commission.
Following his insurance conviction a "fly-on-the-wall" documentary shown on BBC television showed Ingram trying to build a career in television and public speaking. He took part in the 2004 London Marathon, and Channel 4's reality TV show The Games in April 2004.
Mr Ingram lost an appeal in May 2004 against the financial penalties imposed for trying to cheat in the quiz show. However, lawyers succeeded in putting forward a case for his wife not having to pay fines or costs for her part in the deception.
Diana Ingram was also a contestant on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and won £32,000 in April 2001. Her brother, Adrian Pollock, also won the same prize in a December 2000 appearance.
Ingram declared bankruptcy in December 2004. He could still face time in prison if he does not pay his outstanding fines.
An essay [1] (http://www.portia.org/chapter14/major.html) written by James Plaskett in favour of the innocence of Ingram, his wife and Whittock led to journalist Bob Woffinden, who had a long time interest in miscarriages of justice, publishing a two page article in the October 9th 2004 edition of the British newspaper The Daily Mail entitled - Is The Coughing Major Innocent?
External link
- An article by the Portia Campaign questioning Ingram's conviction (http://www.portia.org/chapter14/frame14.html)
- UK Gameshows Page: The Ingrams Trial Report (http://www.ukgameshows.com/index.php/Good_Game_Guide_7_Ingrams_Millionaire_Trial)