EX-RUGBY STAR IN £100k HOME LOAN SCAM

A FORMER rugby league star and his brother have been described as ‘vultures’ after being found guilty of taking part in a series of buy-to-let mortgage frauds.

Ex-Hull Kingston Rovers star Alfie Goulbourne and his DJ brother Darren took part in a conspiracy which saw houses in Hull being bought cheaply and then sold on the same day for much higher prices.

In one case, a pre-war terrace house in west Hull was bought for £20,000 and re-mortgaged on the same day with a loan based on a purported value of £91,000.

During a ten-week trial, Hull Crown Court heard a building society which provided the loans was not made aware of the original purchase prices in any of the mortgage applications.

The prosecution claimed the mortgage deals were deliberately aimed at hiding the relatively low sale values.

The Goulbourne brothers, along with Darren’s partner Julie Crane, denied joint charges of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.

However, the jury found them guilty on ten charges. Family members in the public gallery gasped as the verdicts were announced.

Darren Goulbourne and Crane were cleared on a separate conspiracy charge involving another lender.

Solicitor Christopher Jones was found guilty on nine charges of ‘VULTURE’: Alfie Goulborne conspiracy to commit fraud but was cleared on a charge relating to the property.

Another solicitor, Katie Baxter, was found not guilty on four charges of conspiracy and the jury was dismissed after being unable to reach a majority decision on a further six charges against her.

A sixth defendant, Andrew Wormstone, pleaded guilty to three charges before the trial started.