A family torn apart by the conman dubbed The Puppet Master have vowed to “never give up” on their mother in the hope she will leave him - despite not having seen her for eight years.
Sophie and Jake Clifton believe that their mother, Sandra, is the latest victim of Britain's most notorious fraudster, who is a master of coercive control and robbing people of their savings.
It is eight years since Robert Hendy-Freegard convinced Sandra to cut off all ties from her loving family.
Her daughter Sophie said: “I don't know what I can do. All we have ever wanted was our mum to be safe and happy. He wants her all to himself.
“The difficult thing is, this is still going on. And it's happened before, there may be people out that he could have done anything to.”
Speaking to the camera in a new Netflix documentary she adds: “Mum If you are watching this, you should know that the matter what happens we will always be there for you.”
Her brother Jake adds: “Mum If you're listening to this right now, it doesn't matter what we've been through. We still love you and we want you back in our lives.”
Hendy-Freegard, who uses other alias’, was tried in 2005 and was convicted of ten counts of theft and eight counts of obtaining money by deception, with his main victim Sarah Smith being under his control for ten years.
But two convictions for kidnap by fraud were later quashed by the Court of Appeal meaning his two life sentences were reduced and he was released from prison in 2009 and then moved in with Sandra Clifton in 2012 after meeting on a dating site.
Since 2014, the family of Sandra Clifton have been unable to locate her and have only heard from her on the phone briefly several times.
Jake and Sophie Clifton, now 25 and 28, are searching for their mother with the help of their father (Sandra's ex-husband) and one of Hendy-Freegard’s previous victim Sarah Smith.
They believe Sandra is being coercively controlled.
The new Netflix documentary shows how Hendy-Freegard previously ruined the lives of several people he met at university by claiming to be an MI5 agent protecting them from the IRA, whilst conning thousands of pounds from them over many years and alienating them from all their friends and family.
Since release room prison he has torn the family life of Jake and Sophie apart too.
Sophie said: “I don't know what the right thing to do is. All I know is telling people about what we've gotten through, sharing it alongside what's happened to Sarah and all the other victims is really important because people need to know who he is.
“Because this needs to stop. Robert David, Hendy-Freeguard, David Clifton. Whatever name he goes by. This man should be known, because of the damage he's done. I don't care how long it takes. We will never give up.”
Jake told the documentary how he did see his mother on a TV screen since lockdown began, but only when they went to court and he fears Freegard now has money from a family home Sandra inherited.
He said: “After the death of both my grandparents my mum stood to inherit a house worth £300,000. My plan for the property was for it to be kept in trust with me and my sister as I feared Freegard may get his hands on it.
“A few months after, as I was looking after the property, she took me to court. Due to the global pandemic, all of the court hearings had to be done. by video link.
“It was just sad that after seven years, that was the only way I got to see her. Throughout the court case, my mum wholeheartedly believed that I was stealing the money, but I was just trying to protect it for her. The case wasn't quite cut and dry. The judge, although he seemed to be siding with me, legally, he had to hand it over to my mum.
“David in the past, took someone, alienated everyone around them, and then controlled everything they did. If it's the case that David is just a man trying to have a life, why has he done the exact same thing all over again.”
An investigative reporter found Hendy-Freegard in Berkshire last week. He strongly denied controlling his partner and said: "It is with great sadness that Sandra is not allowed to live her life with who she loves and with who loves her.”
He and Sandra are said to now be working in the pedigree dog business although they went to ground from attending shows in 2015 when he was recognised at an event from his past.
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Referring to his previous crimes, Hendy-Freegard told the Sunday Times: "There is no doubt like countless others before me and countless others after me that I have regrets in life, some profoundly deep regrets at that.
”However, and it's a monumental however actually, I have sat back and tried very hard for so long for the sake of primarily my children and those involved to shun the spotlight and let the untruths go by uncorrected. It seems that there are those who were involved in this sorry episode that must obviously need reminding of a large number of facts and truths."
However one of his other main victims, John Atkinson, who was under his spell for many years and lost all his families’ savings, is clear he doesn’t think someone like Hendy-Freegard can change.
John said: “He is a psychopath. He only knows one way to live a life and that's by lying and deceiving and abusing other people and using their money.”
* The series The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman is out now on Netflix
