Accused Major fights back tears over quiz ordeal

An Army major fought back tears today as he spoke of his “absolutely horrendous” ordeal since being accused of cheating his way to the top prize on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Charles Ingram, (aged 39), who allegedly used an accomplice’s coded coughs to pocket the £1m (€1.4m) jackpot cheque, said he felt he had been living under a “great cloud”.

The extensive publicity that had accompanied the allegations against him, his wife and a college lecturer, had turned a difficult experience into a “dreadful” one.

“It has been extremely difficult living with this. I am not wishing to exaggerate it, but we have had our cat at the front of the house shot at,” he told London’s Southwark Crown Court.

“We have had people driving past shouting "cheat" as we were eating meals in the garden.

“I have had my car vandalised ... it has been absolutely horrendous,” he added.

His lawyer Sonia Woodley QC then asked whether he had had to take any medication as a result.

“I am not on medication now, but certainly for about a year I was,” he replied.

But at that moment, the man who had earlier told the jury he did not like to display his emotions in public, did precisely that.

With his chin trembling noticeably, the Bosnian conflict veteran spent 15 seconds struggling to speak.

Noticing his distress Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC, asked if he was able to continue giving evidence.

After a slight pause, during which he finally managed to regain a semblance of control, he replied: “I don’t like the sensitive bits ... but I’m happy to hang on.”

Apparently concerned to spare her client any further upset, his barrister brought her questioning to a conclusion by asking: “Finally this: did you cheat in any way during the recording of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”

“No,” the major replied, his voice firm once more.

Ingram and his nursery nurse wife Diana, (aged 38), of High Street, Easterton, Wiltshire, and Tecwen Whittock, of Heol-y-Gors, Whitchurch, Cardiff, who is head of business studies at Pontypridd College, South Wales, each deny one charge of “procuring a valuable security by deception” on September 10, 2001.