A documentary has been released following an ECHO investigation into wanted fraudster and former Brookside actor Philip Foster. This month saw the investigation into Foster published which found he was located 500km away from where authorities stated he was.
Philip Foster, formerly of the hit soap Brookside, has spent at least 15 years living in Spain while brazenly ripping thousands of people off and pocketing an estimated £13.6 million.
Foster, who has lived a life of luxury while hiding in plain sight among the safety of expats and tourists, was believed to have been in Marbella, according to the authorities, spending his time living in the Costa del Sol with his wife Nicola Jones during his life of crime.
But the ECHO revealed the wanted fugitive moved 500km north to the Costa Blanca, and more specifically, the Punta Prima area of the Orihuela Costa as he continued to evade justice.
The ECHO has now published a documentary on YouTube showing the investigation which spanned months and saw reporter Ben Haslam visit the country.
It can be viewed here.
Foster, who played manipulative character Christian Wright in the Liverpool-based TV show, is believed to have been among the transient community of the Orihuela Costa, blending in while on the run from the National Crime Agency after he was named as one of the 12 most wanted fugitives from the UK believed to be in Spain earlier this year.
Living in an apartment complex where accommodation costs approximately €500 a week, he would frequent the nearby Nautilus Restaurante, where one server told the ECHO she recognised him from visiting the popular lunch and dinner venue.
Do you have any tips or stories? Get in touch with Ben Haslam via ben.haslam@reachplc.com
But his life was yet again plunged into upheaval after his wife Nicola Jones died after suffering an illness in May. A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil told the ECHO she died on May 16 of natural causes, but would not confirm when asked whether they were investigating any of her family members.
Apartment blocks on the Punta Prima waterfront on the Costa Blanca, where ex-Brookside star Philip Foster is believed to have been living(Image: Liverpool Echo)
In court documents obtained by the ECHO, Nicola is named as having personally benefited from the money obtained by Foster during an eight-year modelling agency scam which operated across the UK and was run by their son Michael Foster. She was also said to have not paid tax for the money she received, but she was not convicted when the case was brought before the courts.
With his wife dying on May 16, just two days after he was named by the NCA as part of its Operation Captura, Foster is believed to have left the area. But the ECHO has since visited the Orihuela Costa, with one local journalist explaining how much of the property in the area where Foster was living was bought up using Russian money.
Speaking to the ECHO in Nautilus Restaurante as the waves crashed against the shore and catamaran boats passed in the August sun, David Pamies, from the Spanish outlet Información, said: “Russian capital came [into the area]. Russian capital, which in Spain like in all countries, had sanctions. After the [Russia/Ukraine] war, the sanctions were more, and the money [involved in property deals in the area], much of that money cannot be legal. So the transactions aren’t either.”
Phillip Foster(Image: National Trading Standards/NTS Press Office)
Foster was unmasked last year as the leading figure behind a string of sham modelling agencies that defrauded thousands of people out of more than £13.5m. More than 6,000 victims were deceived by the group – mainly young people and mothers – who ended up parting with substantial amounts of money under the false promise of securing paid modelling work.
The fraudster, who gave his address as Chermside Road in Aigburth while living in Spain, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison in his absence last year, alongside a list of other people including his son who was sentenced in his absence to three-and-a-half years.
While Foster has been living a life common to many expats, his son, Michael Foster, who has evaded the police himself for his role in the network of false modelling agencies, is understood to be missing in the country.
Michael Foster, son of former Brookside actor and criminal Philip Foster, is wanted and believed to be missing in Spain
The ECHO understands officers in Merseyside were made aware by Spanish authorities at the beginning of this year that Michael Foster was missing. This is believed to still be the case.
While the pair continue to live in Spain, it is clear they are able to go unnoticed in areas heavily populated by Brits, with people able to create new lives the moment they step off the plane.