A former TV soap actor who went on the run before his trial for a £13.6m modelling fraud has been jailed for nine years.

Philip Foster, 51, who played Christian Wright in the Liverpool soap Brookside, was jailed in his absence for eight and a half years in February 2025 for fraud and money laundering, after conning thousands of would-be models.

He hid in Spain but was arrested in Alicante in September and subsequently extradited to the UK. He was given an extra six-month sentence for absconding.

At Sheffield Crown Court, Judge David Dixon told him: "You were a coward, you decided to hide and didn't come and face the music."

Foster ran a network of fake modelling agencies and photographic studios for more than eight years, targeting aspiring models and their parents.

The judge said his co-defendants had come to court to be sentenced.

He referred to Foster buying designer watches and a Porsche for his daughter, as well as being photographed on yachts.

This showed Foster was "living a lifestyle based on the income from this illegal scheme", he said.

The court heard about the deaths of Foster's wife and son.

His barrister, Anthony Barraclough, said Foster's wife had died from cancer and his son Michael had been murdered around Christmas 2025.

Barraclough told the court: "He has had a great deal going on, of a terrible nature, but he is nevertheless an absconder."

A six-year investigation by National Trading Standards (NTS) found that more than 6,000 victims handed over money after being falsely promised opportunities for paid modelling work.

Victims who responded to social media adverts were told they had modelling potential and invited to supposedly free photographic shoots.

They were then told they had passed a studio test but needed to buy a portfolio of photographs to join a modelling agency.

Some used credit arrangements organised by the fraudsters or expensive payday loans to cover the upfront payments.

In return, they received poor-quality digital photographs that stood little chance of securing professional work, and most did not get paid modelling jobs.

Lord Bichard, NTS chairman, said: "Foster's cruel exploits left thousands of victims in serious debt, causing lasting emotional distress and significant financial pressures."