Former Portsmouth defender JAILED as Premier League man sent down for fraud

The ex-Blues Premier League man has been handed a two-year term, with 12 months suspended, after conning a man out of more than £120,000.

Aubey spent the second half of the 2007-08 season at Fratton Park, after arriving on loan from Ligue 1 side Lens on loan.

The defender made three top-flight appearances in his time at PO4, in the season which culminated with Pompey winning the FA Cup at Wembley against Cardiff.

A trial in Toulouse, France heard how Aubey, along with co-accused Mohamed Dia, convinced a friend to part with the cash to invest in setting up a record label.

The shoe repairer, named only as Sebastien, accused the 40-year-old of threatening to harm his children when he sought repayment.

The pair had promised the defendant his investment would return £1m in three years.

Sebastien then went to police when not seeing his money again, after parting with it in 2015, and was later declared bankrupt.

Sebastien told the court: ‘I lost everything, and my wife wanted to commit suicide. I had to give up work.

‘We split up, and those two (Aubey and Dia) just had a good laugh about it all.’

Aubey, who picked up five Congo international caps, protested his innocence to the court.

Aubey: ‘I never robbed anyone’

He said: ‘My money was tied up in Cyprus, held by my club Olympiakos Nicosia. This wasn't a fraud - I never robbed anyone.’

The court found Aubey guilty on Monday, however, and he was ordered to repay the money he took from the victim.

Aubey arrived at Pompey at the start of 2008, in the same transfer window in which Lassana Diarra was signed by Harry Redknapp from Arsenal.

Jermain Defoe was also recruited from Spurs at the window’s close, as Benjani moved to Manchester City.

Aubey’s three Pompey outings all came in Premier League action. His debut arrived as an early substitute in a 1-0 win at Bolton.

He then started in a 2-0 defeat at Spurs in March, before a final sub’s appearances came in a 3-1 loss at Manchester City.

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