Former Brookside actor arrested in Spain after €16 million modelling fraud scheme

Philip Barry Foster, known for his role as Christian Wright on Brookside, was arrested by the Guardia Civil in Torrevieja, ending a four-month search for one of Britain’s most wanted fugitives. The former actor orchestrated a fraudulent modelling operation that targeted more than 6,000 people across England, promising free test shoots before extracting money for low-quality portfolios and forcing victims into payday loans.

Operating from Marbella for over eight years, he funded a lavish lifestyle with the proceeds. In February of the previous year, a Spanish judge sentenced him in absentia to eight-and-a-half years in prison. His son Michael received a three-and-a-half-year sentence and is also believed to be hiding in Spain. The arrest is part of a broader effort that has seen Spanish police capture over 250 British fugitives since 2019.