Former Brookside actor arrested in Spain for £13.6m modelling fraud

Former Brookside actor Philip Foster has been arrested in Spain and faces extradition to the United Kingdom to serve a prison sentence for a £13.6 million modelling fraud that defrauded more than 6,000 victims. Spanish Guardia Civil officers detained the 51-year-old in Alicante on Thursday, September 17, 2026, according to the National Crime Agency. Foster was convicted in absentia at Sheffield Crown Court in February 2025 for fraud and money laundering. He had jumped bail and was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. The arrest makes him the fourth individual from the NCA's recent most wanted campaign to be apprehended. Extradition proceedings to return him to the UK are now underway. The fraud was uncovered following a six-year investigation by National Trading Standards. It found that Foster ran an extensive network of sham modelling agencies and photography studios from his base in Spain. The operation, which lasted for more than eight years, used associates in England to run front businesses in cities including London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Coventry, and Nottingham. Victims were lured through social media advertisements and local studio promotions.