Jackpot winners? (From Penarth Times)

Jackpot winners?

A FORMER SULLY man's friend 'deliberately and loudly' coughed to help him win the £1 million jackpot on TV's Who Want to be a Millionaire a jury heard yesterday.

Southwark Crown Court were told how Major Charles Ingram, 39, correctly completed all 15 questions put to him on September 10, 2001.

But it is claimed that his friend Tecwen Whittock, 53, had strategically coughed throughout his questioning, resulting in Mr Tarrant signing the million pound cheque.

Mr Whittock of Heol Y Groes, Whitchurch, Cardiff, and Major Ingram and his wife Diana, 39, who now live at The Grange, High Street, Easterton, Devizes, Wiltshire, all deny deception.

But Mr Nicholas Hilliard, prosecuting, told the jury: "Mr Ingram was cheating his way to £1 million and was also involved in a dishonest scheme with his wife and third defendant."

He added: "Human nature, what it is, you may think someone someone was bound to come up with a scheme to cheat to get their hands on the money - that's what happened."

Major Ingram, of the Royal Engineers, answered the fastest finger question correctly on September 9 and began playing the full game but the programme finished when he had reached £4,000.

Next day Whittock was among the 10 new contestants waiting to compete for the fastest finger question after Ingram had finished his game.

During the course of the remaining questions Major Ingram answered there were 19 particular coughs that the prosecution claim were helping him and came from the area Whittock was sitting.

"When you watch the film and listen to it, you can, we suggest, see how Mr Ingram won £1 million - with coughs," Mr Hilliard told the jury.

It was also revealed how Mrs Ingram had already won £32,000 on the show as well as one of her brothers.

And Major Ingram had indicated their plan was to win £1 million "one by one" with each receiving £32,000.

However Mr Hilliard said because of the police involvement the £1 million had never been paid and the two shows have not been broadcast.

Before the programme began on September 10, Whittock had told a researcher who was looking after him that he had a cough and another researcher had seen a brother of Mrs Ingram using mobile telephone which resulted in an announcement for everyone to switch off their mobiles.

The jury was shown a number of videos.

The first of an empty studio, the second showing Major Ingram winning his fastest finger and the third without coughing of his success on September 9.

However, just before the court broke for lunch, a fourth video just begun to be shown, revealed the coughing the prosecution complained of.

The hearing continues.