Blind West Bromwich Albion star faces jail after miracle cure scam

Jun 20 2010

As a fresh-faced 15-year-old he won gold in a national swimming event representing Priestley School for the Blind and Partially-Sighted, based in Perry Common.

Young was also a popular member of Baggies’ Blind Football Team and the club had hoped he would play for them next season.

Sports-loving Young also held down a day job working for a West Midlands branch of Action for the Blind. But after leaving that post he began to pester a male ex-colleague with demands for money. The ex-colleague, himself partially-sighted, repeatedly turned down the pleas.

Then in August last year Young told his victim he had the opportunity of a lifetime if he could loan him £1,500 – the chance to travel to China for radical, sight-restoring surgery.

His friend turned him down, but a short time later Young got in touch again, claiming he had been to China for the surgery.

The two men met up and the conman is said to have put on an incredible act in which he pretended he “could see again”. The blind footballer then persuaded his ex-colleague into believing that he had borrowed the cash for the operation from a loan shark, who was now threatening him unless he repaid the money.

The other fraud charge involved another victim, also a former friend of the footballer, who was conned out of £1,200.

Young was caught out after his two victims talked and contacted cops after realising they had both been deceived.

In a statement, West Bromwich Albion Football Club said: ‘‘This is a police matter that is now under the jurisdiction of the court and it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this stage.”

Young was unavailable for comment last night.