'You were a coward': Brookside actor Philip Foster jailed for nine years over £13.6m fake modelling scam after fleeing to Spain

Philip Foster, 51, the Brookside actor who played villain Christian Wright, was handed a nine-year sentence at Sheffield Crown Court after running a network of fraudulent modelling agencies that defrauded more than 6,000 people of £13.6 million over eight years. He had been sentenced to eight and a half years in absentia in February 2025 after fleeing to Spain, where he was arrested in September before being extradited to the UK. Judge David Dixon added six months to the original term for absconding and spoke directly to Foster in court: 'You were a coward, you decided to hide and didn't come and face the music.'

Foster used the proceeds to buy designer watches and a Porsche for his daughter, and pictures emerged of him on yachts — the judge said this showed he was 'living a lifestyle based on the income from this illegal scheme.'

Victims were lured via social media, told they had modelling potential and pressured into paying for photo portfolios; some took out payday loans to cover the costs and never received any paid work.

The court heard that Foster's wife Nicola Jones died of cancer in May 2026 and that his son Michael, who had helped transfer cash to Spain, was allegedly murdered around Christmas 2025.