Fugitive Brookside actor arrested in Spain over £13.6 million fraud

A former Brookside actor has been arrested in Spain after being convicted of a £13.6 million fraud.

Philip Foster, 51, was arrested by the Guardia Civil in Alicante and will be extradited to the UK, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Friday.

Foster was sentenced in his absence at Sheffield Crown Court in February 2025 to eight-and-a-half years in prison.

He had earlier jumped bail and a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

The court heard that he masterminded an operation involving an extensive network of sham modelling agencies that exploited the dreams of aspiring young models and their parents for more than eight years.

More than 6,000 victims parted with large sums of money on the false promise of securing paid modelling work.

Foster ran the fraud from his home in the Spanish coastal city of Marbella, where he lived a luxurious lifestyle.

He was sentenced for conspiracy to defraud, while eight of his associates were sentenced for the same offence and on money laundering charges.

Foster featured on the NCA’s recent ‘Most Wanted’ campaign. He is the 102nd fugitive to be arrested since the start of the campaign.

“Foster’s cruel exploits left thousands of victims in serious debt, causing lasting emotional distress and significant financial pressures,” National Trading Standards director Wendy Martin said.

“Sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for conspiracies to defraud, his sentence serves as an important reminder to would-be criminals that Trading Standards officers across the country are determined to clamp down on fraud, protecting victims and bringing criminals to justice.”

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