Robert Hendy-Freegard, who was featured in Netflix’s The Puppet Master, is accused of injuring two French officers during an escape attempt.

Robert Hendy-Freegard, 53, a notorious British conman, is set to appear in a French court on Thursday, charged with intentionally running over two French police officers in a bid to evade capture. The incident took place at his home in Creuse, central France, where the officers were investigating allegations of an illegal dog-breeding operation.

Hendy-Freegard, known as the “Puppet Master” for his deceptive schemes, was arrested in Belgium following the event and has been in detention in France since 2022. His criminal history dates back to 2005 when he was convicted in the UK for kidnapping and fraud, including defrauding women out of over £1m. He convinced his victims that he was an MI5 agent on the run from terrorists, though his kidnapping conviction was later overturned in 2009, leading to his release.

Around 2015, Hendy-Freegard relocated to the village of Vidaillat in Creuse, where he lived with his British partner, Sandra Clifton, and worked as a dog breeder. When French authorities visited his property on 25 August 2022 to investigate complaints about the kennels, Hendy-Freegard allegedly fled in his Audi A3, injuring two officers in the process. One officer, a woman, was carried on the car bonnet for around 100 yards and suffered a broken nose, while her male colleague was also injured. Both were later signed off work for several days.

Two weeks after the incident, Hendy-Freegard was captured by Belgian police on the E40 motorway near Brussels. While inspecting the property, authorities discovered that Clifton was living with him. Neighbours had previously raised concerns about a woman being held under poor conditions at the house, but the woman denied any wrongdoing, and the investigation was dropped. Clifton has since returned to the UK and has not pursued legal action.

Hendy-Freegard, who gained notoriety from Netflix’s 2022 documentary The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman and a fictional film, Rogue Agent, could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of deliberately injuring the officers. His lawyer, Juliette Magne-Gandois, has since withdrawn from the case. Hendy-Freegard’s defence claims he never intended to kill anyone, although the charge of attempted murder could carry a sentence of up to 30 years.

In a previous trial, it was revealed that Hendy-Freegard often used the motto: “Lies have to be big to be convincing.” One of his victims described the harrowing conditions under his control, including being kept in a locked bathroom with minimal food, hiding from visitors, and being moved from one “safe house” to another under duress.