Tuesday, October 28, 2014 •Peter Foster was arrested in Byron Bay on Tuesday afternoon •The conman had been on the run for more than a year after an arrest warrant was issued last November •The fugitive was on Interpols most wanted list •In 2002 he was involved in the scandal dubbed Cheriegate •It involved the conman selling apartments to the former British Prime Ministers wife Cherie Blair •This connection was forged due to his girlfriend at the time, Carole Chaplin, who was Mrs Blairs lifestyle guru •He has spent time behind bars before for scam weight-loss products A notorious conman who disappeared when a warrant for his arrest was issued has been captured after a year on the run. Peter Foster - known for his career selling weight-loss products - was arrested in Byron Bay on the NSW far-north coast on Tuesday afternoon, Nine News report. Last November The Australian Federal Court issued a warrant for the 52-year-olds arrest over contempt of court as he had been found selling slimming products - something he was banned from doing. Foster has previously been jailed in the UK, the US and Australia because of his forbidden involvement in the slimming industry and promoting products that he knew would not work. But the fugitive first rose to international prominence in 2002 amid a scandal dubbed Cherigate when the conman sold two apartments to former British Prime Minister Tony Blairs wife Cherie. Notorious Australian conman Peter Foster caught by police Footage from his arrest on Tuesday shows officers surrounding the wanted man - who has let his hair and beard grow long and grey - before pinning him to the ground. He was not wearing shoes, and looks starkly different to his impeccably presented former self. A NSW Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday afternoon: Police arrested a 52-year-old man in Ewingsdale, near Byron Bay, about 3.30pm today. Its believed the man is wanted on a number of arrest warrants. The man is currently in hospital receiving medical treatment. He is under police guard. Foster was discovered selling oral spray Sensaslim, a product which promised customers it would aid them in shedding the kilos. As of April this year, the fugitive was on an Interpol most wanted list and was last heard of in hiding in the Pacific nation of Fiji. Foster has previously been jailed in the UK, the US and Australia because of his forbidden involvement in the slimming industry Footage from his arrest on Tuesday shows officers surrounding the wanted man before pinning him to the ground In 2002 Cherie Blair, wife of of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair allegedly purchased two apartments with the help of the Australian conman Some media outlets received photos of him reading the Fiji Times earlier this year, although it was never certain whether he left Australia or not. PETER FOSTER AND CHERIEGATE •In 2002 Cherie Blair, wife of of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair allegedly purchased two apartments with the help of the Australian conman. •This happened after he befriended Carole Caplin, Cherie Blair’s fitness ‘guru’, and through Miss Caplin agreed to help the-then Prime Minister’s wife purchase two discounted flats in Bristol. •It soon emerged Mrs Blair had used a conman to help her with the purchase, which resulted in the scandal being called Cheriegate. •She went on the defensive - before tearfully admitting her mistake. He has already been sentenced to three years jail for contempt of court after breaking a 2005 court order barring him from the weight loss industry - and could now further prison time for failing to appear in court and being found guilty of the slimming con. Foster has previously been jailed in the UK, the US and Australia because of his forbidden involvement in the slimming industry and promoting products that he knew would not work. He started making a big name for himself as a teenager when he befriended Mohammed Ali - then Cassius Clay - in the US, after which he and his mother, Louise, went into the weight loss industry, selling Bai Lin tea, which they claimed worked wonders. But when he took the product to the UK - and made millions from it - tests found that it had no effect on weight. However, Foster was rich enough to court famous women, including top models, one of whom he took on a tour of Europe in a Rolls Royce. During his time in Britain, he befriended Carole Caplin, Cherie Blair’s fitness guru which is how he came to get close to the Blair family. He was jailed for false advertising in the UK and later faced similar punishment in the US. Convictions in the past did not stop him continuing to be involved in the weight loss industry in Australia and he found himself behind bars again, this time in Queensland. On being freed, he became a silent partner in another weight loss scam and was due to be sentenced last year when he disappeared - only to post photos of himself enjoying kava in Fiji. Or so it seemed. But reports began to emerge that he had been seen in northern New South Wales - and now it appears that those reports had foundation, with his arrest near Byron Bay. Foster was jailed for false advertising in the UK and later faced similar punishment in the US During his time in Britain, he befriended Carole Caplin, Cherie Blair’s fitness ‘guru’, and through Miss Caplin agreed to help the-then Prime Minister’s wife purchase two discounted flats in Bristol. When it emerged through the Daily Mail that Mrs Blair had used a conman to help her with the purchase, which resulted in the scandal being called Cheriegate, she went on the defensive - before tearfully admitting her mistake. While on the run from Queensland authorities this time, Foster issued a statement from what he said was his current hideout in Fiji, saying that he now regarded Fiji as his version of Ronnie Biggs’ Brazil - a reference to the late Great Train Robber who lived in the South American country for years after escaping British justice. He told Brisbane’s Sunday Mail that his escape to Fiji, where he had once lived and where he had been formerly arrested for allegedly conning a bank out of a large sum of money, had left him exhausted and ‘sick to the stomach.’ He added: ‘There is a sense of exhilaration. But I’ve left a beautiful home and a beautiful family now.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 10:54:59 +0000
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