A BUSINESSMAN who used investors’ money to support the band of former X Factor star Danyl Johnson has had an appeal against his sentence dismissed.

Former BBC employee Andrew Papadopoulos, 41, was jailed in December last year for seven years after being convicted of 18 counts of fraud.

On Friday he failed in an attempt to have the sentence reduced.

Papadopoulos, of Eagle Lane, Snaresbrook, went on the run after losing more than £6 million belonging to hundreds of investors.

The Guardian reported his disappearance early in 2005 and the paper received anonymous calls suggesting he had been murdered over his debts.

In fact he had fled abroad and was only tracked down in June last year to the Pink Palace resort in Corfu where he was arrested while working as a DJ.

Between 2003 and 2005 Papadopoulos, originally of Addison Road in Wanstead, ran an unauthorised investment scheme called Multi Investments or Multi Ventures which supposedly guaranteed private investors a 17.5 per cent return on their money every 12 weeks.

He invested the money in sports and pop memorabilia, including the wedding certificate of Elvis and Lisa-Marie Presley which he bought for £27,000.

He also helped fund the fledgling boyband Upfrunt - which counted former X Factor contestant Danyl Johnson among its five members. Despite paying £10,000 towards the band's costs, Upfrunt never released a record or performed a gig.

On Friday his lawyers argued at London's Criminal Appeal Court that his sentence was unfair, however, Mr Justice Tugendhat refused the appeal.