A former actor from the long-running British soap opera Brookside, Philip Foster, 51, has been arrested in Spain after being convicted of a £13.6 million fraud. The arrest, carried out by Spain’s Guardia Civil in Alicante, was confirmed by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) on Friday. Foster had previously fled the UK after being sentenced in his absence to eight-and-a-half years in prison by Sheffield Crown Court in February 2025. He is now expected to be extradited to the UK to serve his sentence. Foster was known for playing the character Christian Wright in Brookside, which aired from 1982 to 2003. Foster had been wanted in the UK for running a fraudulent scheme involving sham modelling agencies. He operated from Spain, where he lived a luxurious lifestyle while exploiting the hopes of young aspiring models and their families. The NCA stated that Foster had jumped bail after being convicted of fraud and money laundering last year and had been on the run since then. He was arrested in Alicante, and extradition proceedings to return him to the UK are now underway. Foster is the fourth person featured in the NCA’s recent "Most Wanted" campaign to be arrested. The fraud was uncovered by the National Trading Standards (NTS) after a six-year investigation. It was found that over 6,000 victims were deceived into paying large sums of money under the false promise of paid modelling work. Foster and his associates ran a network of fake modelling agencies and photography studios across several English cities, including London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Coventry, and Nottingham. Victims were lured in through emails and social media ads, which claimed they had potential as models. They were then invited for a "free" test shoot, after which they were pressured into buying expensive photo portfolios to join the agencies. Victims were often told they needed to purchase these portfolios to become official models, and some were even encouraged to take out credit or payday loans to cover the cost. However, they received low-quality photos that were useless for real modelling jobs, and most were never paid for any work. Foster used the proceeds from the scam to buy luxury items like high-end watches and cars. Many victims described feeling financially ruined and emotionally distressed, expressing feelings of betrayal and humiliation. The NTS investigation has now concluded, and Foster is being brought to justice for his role in the elaborate fraud.