THE DIRECTOR of a Bradford jeweller at the centre of a £266 million money laundering trial was in Israel when police raided the premises, a court heard.

Gregory Frankel, 44, also used to be a bodyguard for footballers and VIPs, it emerged.

Eight individuals went on trial at Leeds Cloth Hall Court more than two months ago accused of washing criminal cash through Fowler Oldfield, off Hall Lane, Bradford, between 2014 and 2016.

Frankel, whose address was given as Yates Flat in Bradford, Daniel Rawson, 45, of Syke Green in Leeds, Paul Miller, 45, of High Street in Wetherby, Heidi Buckler, 45, of Lawson Court in Leeds, James Stunt, 40, of Ennismore Garden Mews in London, Francesca Sota, 34, of Stephendale Road in Fulham, Alexander Tulloch, 41, of Delia Street in London, and Haroon Rashid, 51, of no fixed abode, are all charged with transferring criminal property, namely cash.

This was across a period of just over two years, between January 1, 2014 and September 30, 2016.

Stunt and Sota are also charged with making a false instrument with intent that it be accepted as genuine, in other words, forgery.

This was said to have been on or around February 11, 2015.

All eight have pleaded not guilty to all charges put to them.

The prosecution closed its case on Tuesday and the first defendant – Frankel – who was director of Fowler Oldfield, took to the witness box to begin his evidence.

Frankel denied handling criminal cash, did not suspect any money coming to Fowler Oldfield was criminal and right up until the police raid on September 8, 2016, he said he was never informed it might be criminal property.

He believed he was operating a legitimate business, Frankel told the court.

The prosecution had put the case in its opening statement that CCTV shows Frankel carrying a rucksack of £36,455 in cash into the jeweller’s premises through a private door on August 19, 2016.

Much of Fowler Oldfield’s business was done with a new company at the time called Pure Nines, which also had its premises raided on the same day as the jeweller.

Frankel was in Israel at the time of the police raid, where he has lived and worked as a security coordinator in a position funded by the Israelian Ministry of Defence for a number of years.

His wife and children still reside there and currently is having to live with his mum and dad during the trial.

When asked how important trust is in the business, Frankel said: “Extremely, 100 per cent, we trusted out customers.”

He believed Pure Nines was legitimate but has a very different view now.

Frankel said: “I think they’ve used me, I think they’ve destroyed my business and my life.”

Frankel also revealed to the court that he had a vibrant career history and had run a number of businesses.

At one point Frankel worked in close protection in London for just shy of a year, looking after foreign royal members from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as footballers and other VIPs.

The trial continues.