Brighton: Fraud Suspect In Court

A man recently named as one of Britain's Most Wanted has appeared before magistrates in Brighton.

Jeff Bloor, 41, from Lancing, was arrested on Thursday when he touched down at Stanstead on a flight from Cyprus. He had been missing since he failed to answer bail back in June 2012.

Mr Bloor is charged with defrauding clients out of millions of pounds in a betting scam. He also faces money laundering charges. Sussex Police say charges result from a nine-month long enquiry by their Major Fraud Unit in 2011 and 2012. It is alleged that more than £5 million was obtained as a result of hundreds of individuals across the UK being convinced about investing in non-existent betting brochure schemes.

Detective Sergeant Sally Smith of the Sussex Major Fraud Unit said: "Bloor's details were released to the media on 23 July 2012 as part of efforts to trace him. He featured as part of the Crimestoppers Most Wanted 'Op Zygos' publicity campaign and we have also been working with the National Crime Agency. That publicity and co-operation has helped to secure his arrest."

Steve Bennett, the National Crime Agency's Head of European Operations, said: "This is a great example of the effectiveness of our 'most wanted' campaigns. Many fugitives are located as a result of law enforcement operations or information being passed from members of the public. In this case the publicity was a major factor and Bloor handed himself in."