England 1966 World Cup hero Sir Geoff Hurst told the high court in London today that he felt remorse at allowing his name "to be used and abused" in a Spanish property scheme.
Hurst, who claims he lost £600,000, and six other investors are suing businessman Mark Cordner for a total of £2m.
They claim that, because of Cordner's alleged deceit, negligent misstatement, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful conspiracy, they handed over the full purchase price up front and without security for seven off-plan apartments in a development called Aloha Royal, near Marbella. They say their rights over the properties have now either been destroyed or rendered worthless.
Hurst, 68, of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, told Mr Justice Keith: "I feel some remorse at becoming involved and allowing my name to be used and abused in the way it has been."Most of the people I have been associated with have been very forgiving of my role."
Cordner, of Knebworth, Hertfordshire, admits that he made some of the representations alleged by the seven: Sir Geoff Hurst, David Barkley, Darren Innocent, Terence Hopley, Paul Kenyon, Martin Roberts and Verna Roberts, but he denies he acted deceitfully or negligently and says he also lost money to a Michael Hone – whose whereabouts are unknown, in that he had invested and lost his own money, time and reputation in Aloha Royal and another development, Aldea Beach. Counsel Peter Knox QC said Cordner's claim that he was a mere salesman was "patently untrue", and he was "in partnership" with Hone.Hurst said he first met Hone and Cordner in June 2003, and was offered an apartment as part of a three-year image rights contract to promote the properties through 15 personal appearances and media endorsements.
He was also approached about buying further apartments in Aloha at a heavily discounted price, as long as he paid up front.
"I believed that Mark Cordner owned the apartments and had the legal right to sell them to me."
At the start, he trusted Hone, who he considered "the boss", but now thought it was a cynical scheme right from the beginning.
Cordner's counsel, Michael Jefferis, said: "So you were taken in by Michael Hone completely?"
Hurst said: "By Michael Hone and Mark Cordner."
"It is easy to say in hindsight, but if I'd seen the documents, we wouldn't have gone anywhere near this."
Hurst denied that he became friends with Hone, although he had a few meals with him, he and his wife, Judith, stayed in a cottage at Hone's Spanish home and they attended his wedding.
"What I try to do when involved in promotional contracts is go beyond the contract and form some kind of social bond."
Hurst said that when he met Cordner, he seemed to know a lot about the business and had said he was the chairman of the company.
Hurst said that he did virtually no research and took no legal advice, as Cordner said that his in-house lawyer would deal with the legal work.
Hurst, who also has a claim against Cordner arising out of a loan, added: "I was at fault in not looking at the whole deal more closely."
He said that the content of the promotional brochures changed until they began to contain "absolute lies" about his involvement as a figurehead, such as that the World Cup team was coming over and that he was designing a golf course which, Hurst said – for an ex-footballer – was "ludicrous".
Source: Guardian