Bail refused for car dealer who duped footballer

Judge Rupert Mayo opted not to grant bail after adjourning sentence on Richard Esprit, who faces a custodial sentence for tricking Aston Villa star Carew out of about 200,000.

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court unanimously convicted Esprit of two counts of fraud and two of theft after hearing that he failed to supply Carew with a Porsche Cayenne Gemballa.

Following the guilty verdicts, Esprit, of Staines, Surrey, had a request for his bail to be renewed pending sentencing in the new year rejected.