Trio charged over 'Millionaire' win

A major who scooped £1m on ITV's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, his wife and a third person were charged yesterday with swindling the show.

Major Charles and Diana Ingram, both 38, from Easterton, Wiltshire, and a business lecturer, Tecwen Whittock, 52, from Heol-y-Gors, Whitchurch, Cardiff, were charged with deception and conspiracy.

A fourth person, a 35-year-old man, is on bail pending further inquiries.

Major Ingram, his wife and Mr Whittock, who is head of business studies at Pontypridd College in south Wales, were bailed to appear at Bow Street magistrates' court in central London on 7 August.

All three were charged with one count of "conspiracy to procure the execution of a valuable security by deception" under the Criminal Law Act 1977. The second charge was "procuring the execution of a valuable security by deception" contrary to the Theft Act 1968.

Mr Whittock, Mrs Ingram, a nursery nurse, and her husband were detained by the Metropolitan Police last November on suspicion of conspiring to swindle the programme's makers, Celador Productions.

Major Ingram won the jackpot prize when he appeared on the show last September.

He arrived at the central London police station yesterday at about 3.15pm to answer his bail.

Major Ingram was dressed in a grey pinstriped suit and checked blue tie and carrying a newspaper. Asked if he had anything to say, Major Ingram replied: "Not at the moment, thank you."