THE ex-wife of a former Dragons rugby star escaped going to jail after defrauding him out of more than £1 million by forging signatures and secretly taking out loans in his name.

Gareth Cooper, 40, was left shocked after his partner Debra Leyshon “deceived and manipulated” him during the last four years of their marriage.

Leyshon, 41, fraudulently obtained mortgages and loans along with her business partner Simon Thomas and associate Mark Lee.

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Mr Cooper lost all the money he earned after playing for the Dragons, Cardiff Blues, Celtic Warriors, Bath, Gloucester, Wales and the British and Irish Lions during the course of a successful career.

His luxury home was repossessed and he had to move back in with his parents who cashed in their pensions to pay his £120,000 legal fees.

Judge David Wynn Morgan told mother-of-three Leyshon: “You played the leading role. You abused the trust that Mr Cooper had put in you.”

In his victim impact statement Mr Cooper said: “I was deceived and manipulated by the person I trusted the most – my wife and the mother of my children.

“This has had a profound and devastating effect on both me and my family.

South Wales Argus:

The 40-year-old rugby star pictured outside court. Image: Wales News Service

“I was happily married with three children, enjoying a career playing a sport I excelled in for many years.”

“During the last three to four of our marriage, Debra changed. She became more distant.

“She became very secretive about how the businesses were going. When I asked her, she would fob me off.”

Mr Cooper, who won 46 caps for Wales, had his home re-possessed by the bank.

He added: “That resulted in me moving back in with my parents. I have had to rely on the financial support of my parents to pay legal bills.”

Mr Cooper, who admitted he was “not a businessman”, said his parents supported him through his rugby career and have supported him throughout the case.

“This was at a time when they should be planning for their retirement. I will always be profoundly grateful for their support.

“Debra and I are now divorced. I cannot forgive what she has done, but she is the mother of my children.

“I do not think I will ever be the same again.

The court heard Mr Cooper and his mother Susanne, 67, were both diagnosed with anxiety and depression.

Mr Cooper used his rugby earnings to buy a property in Pencoed, Bridgend, as an investment in 2006, followed by three other properties.

He set up a company called Cooper Freight Services, but left the day-to-day running of the business to his wife and her business partner Thomas who he trusted.

The firm set up a gym called No 9 Fitness – a reference to the number he wore on his rugby shirt as a scrum-half.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Leyshon and Thomas gave him the impression the businesses were “thriving” and he had no reason to doubt them.

But prosecutor Roger Griffiths said: “The opposite was true. The businesses were in financial trouble. Dishonest methods were used to keep them going.”

“Short-term loans and some large loans were used to keep the companies afloat.”

In the summer 2016, six years after he retired as an international rugby player, Mr Cooper discovered his wife had taken out loans and mortgages without him knowing.

Their family home had been re-mortgaged and the four other properties had been transferred into their joint name and mortgaged.

Two years ago, Mr Cooper received a shock email saying he had been made bankrupt and should have attended court.

He was removed from bankruptcy a month later when it was accepted he had been the victim of fraud.

Leyshon, of Laleston, Bridgend, admitted 13 counts of fraud, amounting to just over £1 million. She had no previous convictions.

She was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for 24 months.

Thomas, 47, of Wick, Cowbridge, admitted two counts of fraud to the value of £380,000, and the prosecution claim he impersonated Mr Cooper while making a business phone call.

He was jailed for 16 months, suspended for 24 months and disqualified from being a company director for eight years.

Lee, 43, of Barton Road, Exeter, admitted one count of fraud amounting to £50,000. He was jailed for nine months, suspended for 24 months.

The trio were ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £140 each.

A Proceeds of Crime hearing will be held in Cardiff next June.