Brit police reopen investigation into GBP 2.5 million lotto fraud

Reports in the UK mainstream press over the weekend indicate that Hampshire police have re-opened their investigation into the alleged lottery fraud which saw Edward Putman pocket GBP 2.5 million whilst his alleged accomplice at the UK National Lottery, Giles Knibbs, took his own life.

Police are reportedly searching for an allegedly incriminating tape in which Knibbs, a lottery employee, unwittingly acknowledges his involvement and payment of a share of the fraudulent proceeds, and reveals that he accessed vital information from the Camelot Lotto head office where he worked by slipping into an unlocked room where details of winning tickets were printed.

The tape was subsequently used to blackmail Knibbs, it is claimed, possibly contributing to his subsequent actions in exposing the extortion and fraud before taking his own life.

The original fraud case revolved around a plan allegedly master-minded by Putman in which Knibbs provided insider information on an unclaimed winning ticket, and Putman is then thought to have bought a similar ticket from the same source, deliberately damaging the date barcode to claim the prize.

The ticket has since gone missing, hampering previous investigations. Camelot was subsequently fined GBP 3 million by the Gambling Commission, which concluded that fraud likely took place.

Putnam has up until now avoided prosecution and still has the cash.