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Where Are John Atkinson and Sarah Smith Now?

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Where Are John Atkinson and Sarah Smith Now?

Through the early Nineties, Robert Freegard befriended three school college students in Newport, England. What occurred subsequent was a sequence of weird and nearly unfathomable sequence of occasions that perpetually modified these college students’ lives. Netflix’s ‘The Puppet Grasp: Searching the Final Conman’ explores Robert’s conning methods by way of the eyes of two of the scholars: John Atkinson and Sarah Smith. So, if you happen to’re questioning what occurred to them since, right here’s what we all know!

Who Are John Atkinson and Sarah Smith?

John and Sarah have been agriculture college students on the Harper Adams Agricultural Faculty on the time. They have been additionally roommates together with Maria Hendy and one other particular person. Throughout a go to to the native bar, John met Robert, the barkeep. By the following conversations, Robert advised the faculty scholar that he was an MI5 agent working to weed out Irish Republican Military sleeper cells on campus. Enthralled by his tales, John agreed to assist him.

Robert had requested John to hold out some unusual missions. On the present, John talked about how he as soon as needed to write down the license plate numbers of all of the vehicles parked near a fertilizer retailer as a result of somebody was making bombs utilizing the objects offered there. Robert additionally beat John up and requested him to take punches to check his loyalty and toughness. Then, he requested John to start out relationship Sarah as nicely.

At one level, Robert satisfied John that their lives have been at risk they usually needed to go away instantly. He requested John to deceive Sarah and Maria to get them to security. Consequently, John claimed to have terminal most cancers and wished to go to a listing of locations earlier than he died. However the trio discovered a lot later they wouldn’t return in any respect. Robert finally moved them to Sheffield, England, together with him. They have been advised to not contact their households as a result of the telephones have been bugged.

Robert conned them out of tons of of kilos to pay for his operations all through their journey. Whereas he took up a job as a salesman and continued to fraud extra individuals, John labored at a bar, and Sarah was employed at a chip store. Robert additionally had two daughters with Maria round that point. Sarah had acknowledged on the present that the majority the cash she made would go to Robert for the supposed witness safety program she was in.

As soon as the previous college students have been separated, John talked of going again to dwelling on his mother and father’ farm. Whereas he was afraid of the IRA coming after him initially, he realized over time that Robert was presumably mendacity to him. By then, John had given up nearly £400,000. Sarah additionally remembered being taken to a protected home with a bucket over her head. She was in the end discovered by the police working as a cleaner at one other lady’s residence beneath a special identify.

The home the place Sarah was working belonged to Renata Kister, one other particular person conned by Robert. He advised Renata that Sarah didn’t perceive English and, on the similar time, advised Sarah to faux as she understood nothing. Ultimately, each John and Sarah testified at Robert’s trial in 2005. Later, John stated, “He did put me by way of hell. It was degrading and humiliating. They have been very critical issues that he was mendacity about; you don’t joke concerning the IRA. He’s simply sick.”

The place Are John Atkinson and Sarah Smith Now?

After the trial, John talked about having handled the ordeal and believed that he had recovered from it. Relating to Robert, he stated, “I’ve heard him described as a narcissistic sociopath, and that appears to take a seat fairly nicely. It’s all about himself. He’ll inform any lie simply to get what he desires.” Sarah, who didn’t see her household for near a decade, later wrote a e book about her experiences dwelling on the run.

When Sarah discovered Robert could be launched from jail after his conviction was overturned, she made her disappointment evident. Sarah stated, “He’s a really expert liar and manipulator, and I’ve little doubt that he’ll do that once more. I hope that when he’s launched, his path by no means crosses mine. I by no means need to see that man once more.” As per the present, Sarah has since been fortunately married and helps her father out on his farm. As for John, he taught English in Prague, Czech Republic.

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