Netflix fans are absolutely shell shocked after watching new true-crime doc The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman. Watch the trailer below:
*WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD*
The true-crime documentary is centred around conman Robert Hendy-Freegard, who is considered to be one of the world's most audacious fraudsters.
He was convicted in 2005 for stealing close to £1 million from at least seven women and one man.
He worked at a pub in Shropshire and a car dealership, where he would meet and convince victims he was an undercover MI5 agent, Special Branch or part of Scotland Yard working against the IRA.
Hendy-Freegard fleeced thousands of pounds from people by convincing them they were being pursued by the IRA - winning them over by cutting them off from their family and friends.
In 2002, Scotland Yard and the FBI organised a sting operation and arrested Hendy-Freegard at Heathrow Airport.
Following an eight-month trial at Blackfriars Crown Court in 2005, the con artist was convicted for two counts of kidnapping, 10 of theft and eight of deception.
It's safe to say that the series has been an eye-opener for those watching at home.
One person wrote: "@netflix #thepuppetmaster What an amazing documentary, I felt so sad for Sarah and the other victims.
"Surely the #DontF**kwithcats gang can get on this and find this absolute horrific man who probably thinks he is invincible #findrobertfreegard."
A second said: "Watching Puppet Master on Netflix.
"Nuts how this man got people to give him hundreds of thousands of pounds by [lying].
"So sad how many lives he's ruined #thepuppetmaster."
A third echoed this, adding: "There is still a woman out there, who may believe she found the 'Love of her Life'. Her only 'Soulmate'. It's more than disturbing... #thepuppetmaster #netflix."
Hendy-Freegard was given a life sentence, but this was revoked after an appeal against his kidnapping convictions in 2007, and he was released from prison in 2009.
Without giving it all away, the synopsis for the three-part series reads: "The jaw-dropping story of one of the world's most audacious conmen.
"Over the course of a decade, Robert Freegard controlled, conned and fleeced at least seven women and one man, stealing close to a million pounds.
"His traumatised victims were led to believe they were accomplices in highly elaborate secret service operations and that their families were in grave danger if they did not obey.
"Freegard exploited, abused and controlled them with extreme cruelty, confident his victims were too paralysed by fear to escape. Now, in an incredible twist, the story reaches into the present day, with a family who fear for their mother's safety."
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: Netflix, TV and Film
Anish Vij