Mason Jones (Reporter)
GREATER Manchester Police are asking British expats to help locate a fraudster thought to be hiding on the Costa del Sol.
Unemployed Tony Murphy, 40, duped banks into giving him almost €350,000 by claiming he owned a string of successful businesses.
Murphy, from Altrincham, Manchester, used the cash to fund a jet set lifestyle and buy several properties before being busted last year.
Credit card applications showed the Brit claimed he earned over €80,000 from owning a car dealership, and a further €46,000 by working as an electrician.
But Murphy, who is believed to have fled to Malaga airport while awaiting trial, had declared just €2,593 earnings over a six year period.
Following a raid on his €400,000 home in Hale, police found photographs of him posing with an orangutan on a trip to Bangkok, along with an old passport detailing many other holidays.
Police also found evidence linking him to convicted drug dealer Jimmy Maxwell.
Maxwell, 35, is currently serving 22 years in a Florida jail for running a large Ecstasy ring in the US.
Det Sgt Pat Goodrich of Greater Manchester Police said: “We had been investigating Murphy’s financial background for a year before the raid.
“We found some very interesting evidence at his house, apart from the photos he had posters of the film Scarface on the wall of his property.
“We very much hope we can trace Murphy,” he added.
He duped the banks? Good!
I don’t know, he looks quite cuddly to me, who’d have thought he is a fraudster? Why would anyone name their Orang, Tony Murphy?
great pity the police dont advertise the faces of the bankers who robbed us all of much more than 300 k ……… old boy club in full flow
photos of the film scarface, and ????
Love the orangatang
I saw him once, I think it was in a Clint Eastwood movie. He was going under the name of Clyde at the time.
defrauded the banks….. Deserves a medal…. How did he do it….??????????
ha ha… great…
this guy drinks in my local…. yes a now costa resident…
we all know his story…. and we all love the guy
like the said above….
when the manager of a bank steals some money he gets a bonus, when a customer does it they are on uk’s most wanted…
Duped the banks out of a shed load of money and went on a spending spree sounds like a country beginning with G to me. Funny old world, when an individual does it they class it as heinous crime when politicians do it they call it tax collection.
Great job he did on the banks ! well done Tony
perhaps greater manchester police would like to spend the money they receive from the public purse on gang crime , gun crime and drugs in their own area – they cant say they dont have enough criminals in Manchester . G
He looks like every other bald chavvy looking criminal on the coast.
he ” DUPED”..the bank… not Robbed…. so…banks problem…. they deserve it 100%…
I believe Murphy could be in Ireland?
Wherever… good luck Mr Murphy… !