In Netflix's latest true-crime series, The Puppet Master: Hunting The Ultimate Conman, brother and sister Jake and Sophie Clifton appeal to their mother, Sandra, to return home to them.
After she disappeared with Robert Hendy-Freegard seven years ago, the siblings are desperate for answers about where their mother is now, and whether she has become an unwilling victim in Freegard's history of coercive control.
Fearing they wouldn't even recognise their mother anymore, or she wouldn't recognise them, the Clifton siblings are aware their situation is far from a run-of-the-mill kidnapping case. (In fact, Clifton's apparent consent meant Freegard's kidnapping conviction was overturned.)
So how did Freegard, who was convicted as a scam artist after pretending he was an MI5 agent for more than a decade, suddenly become involved in this family's life?
Here's the full timeline of Sandra's story so far, and where she could be now.
2012
Sandra, recently divorced from her childhood sweetheart Mark, signed up to online dating in a bid to find a new relationship.
The move was encouraged by daughter Sophie, who says Sandra was always "the cool mum" amongst her friends. Similarly, Jake described himself as a "mama's boy" because of their close relationship.
It's through this site that she met "David", a man who worked in media selling advertising space. Within months, he had bought Sandra a brand new Audi and had taken the family on a trip to Spain together. The kids found him strange as he would play Duran Duran on repeat and refused to let them see his passport, but it's only on reflection these were considered the first in a series of red flags.
He quickly moved into the family home and Jake notes that while he said he was busy, "David" always seemed to be at the house. Sandra became more distant from friends and loved ones, with the kids noting that she got angrier at them easier.
Sandra also started allowing "David" to discipline the children in bizarre ways. After scuffing his school shoes walking through mud, Jake had a metal plate added to his heel so he could "learn how to walk properly", making him the target of bullies as it would clack loudly in the hallways.
Ex-husband Mark was told by "David" that Jake was gay and hadn't come out to him, something Jake later was forced to deny. Jake eventually started getting locked out of the house after school, and it happened with such frequency that one day it erupted into a fight, and Jake moved in with his dad.
Younger sister Sophie was so upset by this that she blamed Jake and her father, and cut them out for almost two years. During this time, she was told she needed to start paying £300 a month rent to live in the house, despite only earning £400 as a hairdresser's apprentice. She was also instructed to hand over £10,000 from her savings account to "David". He would pick her up and drop her off at work, and she would stay inside otherwise.
One day "David" left her there, and she was forced to sleep on the salon floor overnight. This was the final straw for her, and she moved out on her own for a year before eventually reuniting with her brother and dad.
2014
In January 2014, "David" and Sandra left the family home and never came back. Mark – who had remained on good terms with Sandra despite their split – was left to sell the house. Upon entering the home he discovered stacks of overdue credit card bills, mortgage repayment reminders, court summons and parking fines in her name. He also found an industrial lock on the master-bedroom door, with newspaper covering the windows.
When his attempt to track information about the man he knew as David Hendy didn't bring up anything, he eventually recognised him as Robert Hendy-Freegard in a news report about his release. Freegard had been imprisoned for previously conning women into living under his rule for a decade, handing over their cash and livelihoods to him.
The family fought to get the police involved, which became difficult as Sandra was an adult woman who had seemingly left with him willingly.
2015
The police finally tracked down Freegard and Sandra, and requested a meeting with Sandra. The Clifton family were then informed during the chat that Sandra had declined the opportunity to come home, even after being told about Freegard's real identity. They were told she already knew who he really was.
As a result, there was nothing police could do further.
In the coming years, the Clifton family were left with minimal contact from their mother, who would ring only to ask for money. Both of her parents died, and she didn't attend either funeral.
Mark continued to fight to find Sandra for the sake of his children. He and Sandra had known each other from the age of 14, before getting married at 20 and starting their family. While their relationship eventually broke down, they had worked to raise Jake and Sophie together as best they could before the arrival of Freegard.
But Freegard and Sandra seemingly disappeared into thin air after going on the run. They wouldn't stay in the same place for longer than two or three days, they only withdrew cash from Sandra's account from towns outside of where they were staying, and they zigzagged around mainland Europe.
2017
In 2017, a beagle dog breeder – who agreed to be interviewed for Puppet Master as long as she remained anonymous – was contacted by Freegard, now using the name David Clifton, who claimed to work in the breeding industry. She started working with him under the belief he would help improve her dogs' pedigree.
She says she was never allowed to be in contact with those he was buying the dogs from, and he would transport dogs back and forth from France for her. In return for his help, she would wire cash into an account under Sandra's name, covering numerous costs including stud fees and vet bills.
When a friend alerted her to Freegard's real identity, she cut ties with him and reported him to the police. In return, he contacted her with threats, saying Sandra worked 'high up' in the force and would know everything she was saying about him. The woman recorded the phone calls. Freegard still hasn't been caught.
2020
Jake and Sophie were taken to court by Sandra over the sale of her parents' house. The siblings had kept hold of the property in trust should she ever want to come home.
The hearing was held over a Zoom call due to the pandemic, and eventually went in Sandra's favour as, technically, the property was hers. It's the first time the family had even seen Sandra since she disappeared from the house in 2014.
The house was immediately sold, and the children believe it was to help Freegard further fund his lifestyle.
Speaking to the camera on the show, Jake and Sophie both hold out hope of reuniting with their mother one day, believing her to be coercively controlled by Freegard, despite her previous statements that she was aware of his past.
"Mum, if you are watching this, you should know that no matter what happens we will always be there for you,' Sophie says.
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 want you back in our lives."
The Puppet Master: Hunting The Ultimate Conman is available now on Netflix.
Freelance writer, Digital Spy
Tilly is Gold-Standard NCTJ accredited journalist with eight years of experience in entertainment journalism.
She has been heard giving her insight on the latest TV stories on BBC Radio across the country and on BBC News.
Previously working with The Sun Online, Yahoo, Metro.co.uk and Independent IE amongst others, she joined the Digital Spy team from 2021-2023 as Deputy TV Editor (Maternity cover).
With a speciality in TV drama and true crime, Tilly has been praised for her exclusive content with A-list stars ranging from Sir David Attenborough to the lawyers behind Making A Murderer.
She’s happy to report her mum now takes her seriously as a journalist as she got to interview George Clooney once.
