Fraudster jailed for credit lies

From the archive, first published Thursday 1st May 2003.

A Quarry Bank man who shocked the sporting world when he became boss of a league club has been jailed for nine months for fraud.

Kevin Cullis' reign at Swansea City, which lasted for just six days after his sudden promotion back in 1996, was one of the shortest in football history.

The 44-year-old father-of-three,a former manager of Cradley Town Football Club, admitted attempting to obtain a mortgage of £96,000 by deception when he appeared before Wolverhampton Crown Court on Tuesday.

He also pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining more than £21,000 credit from finance companies by deception.

Judge Desmond Perrett told Cullis, of Acres Road, Quarry Bank, he had committed acts of blatant dishonesty.

He said: "There was no doubt you were short of money and in some difficulty.

"You inflated your income to obtain credit facilities and it was a risk you decided to take."

Mr Bernard Linnemann, prosecuting, told the court Cullis applied for the credit facilities by claiming he was a £36,500 a year marketing consultant.

But Cullis' barrister, Mr Michael Morris, said his client had made regular payments back to the credit companies and there had been no complaints.

Mr Morris said: "He accepts he acted illegally but he clearly had the financial means to meet the payments required."

The court was told Cullis has two sons who were currently serving "significant" prison sentences, a blow that had already punished the family.

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