WARRINGTON Wolves star Adrian Morley was among the victims of a dishonest financial advisor, Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday.

Nicholas Fowler, who was also an unlicensed rugby league agent, had acted for Mr Morley since the player was 17, but eventually cheated him out of £110,000.

The Great Britain forward had paid the money to Fowler as a pension fund in case his career was suddenly ended by injury.

Forty-seven-year-old Fowler, who also duped four pensioners out of their nest egg savings, was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Judge Mark Brown told him: "You abused the position of trust you had with these clients and gambled with their money.

"You represented to them that you were investing their money in bonds when, in fact, you were putting the money into very risky share dealings."

Fowler, of Sandstone Cottages, Daresbury, pleaded guilty to nine offences of obtaining property by deception between 1992 and 2000.

Judge Brown said that, while some of the loss could be accounted for by the uncertainty of the market, Fowler had still pocketed about £140,000.

Simon Christie, prosecuting, said Fowler had operated as a financial advisor since 1992 and also acted as an unlicensed rugby league agent.

Anthony Eyres, defending, said Fowler had invested the money in start-up companies, which were high risk, and he lost a total of £47,000.