UK Army major due in court over millionaire quiz show

A British Army major is due to stand trial tomorrow accused of cheating his way to the top prize in TV’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Charles Ingram, aged 39, will be in the dock with his wife and a college lecturer, all accused of tricking game show host Chris Tarrant into signing the seven-figure cheque.

Ingram, and his nursery nurse wife Diana, 38, of The Grange, High Street, Easterton, Wiltshire, UK and Tecwen Whittock, 52, who lives at Heol-y-Gors, Whitchurch, Cardiff, Wales and is head of Business Studies at Pontypridd College, south Wales, each deny two charges.

The first alleges they conspired to procure the execution of a valuable security.

It states that between January 1 and September 11, 2001, they “conspired together and with others with a view to gain for themselves or with intent to cause loss to another, dishonestly to procure Christopher Tarrant to sign a cheque by deception, namely by falsely representing that Charles Ingram did not receive any assistance when answering questions on the television show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”.

The second count alleges that they simply procured a valuable security by deception on September 10 that year, and contains similar wording.

Nicholas Hilliard, prosecuting, is not expected to start outlining the case against the three defendants until late morning at the earliest.

The trial, before Judge Geoffrey Rivlin, QC, at London’s Southwark Crown Court, is due to last four weeks.