Buffy The Vampire Slayer

EXCLUSIVE Vampire girl blames partner over £14,000

A COUPLE who charged Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans £500 to meet the stars of the hit TV show are at the centre of a fraud probe.

Police are investigating claims that Buffy fan Ben Bush embezzled more than £14,000 from lover Denise Goff.

The cash had been set aside for a Buffy convention called the Hush featuring stars such as Anthony Head (Rupert Giles), Iyari Limon (Kennedy), Adam Busch (Warren) and Robin Sachs (Ethan).

But the gala event, planned for Aberdeen’s Granite City Thistle Hotel, was pulled at the last minute, leaving a string of angry Buffy fans out of pocket.

The three-day gathering had been due to take place at the hotel, next to Aberdeen Airport.

A message on the official convention website apologises for the cancellation and accuses Bush of ’systematically withdrawing’ a total of £14,500 from Phoenix Events, the company formed to stage the Hush event.

It continues: ’When we confronted him with this, he declined to do anything to either repay the money or proceed with the event.’

Goff claims the cancellation has left her almost penniless. She said: ’I’m gutted by what Ben has done to me. Although the event was cancelled, various deposits and expenses still have to be paid and it has cost me a fortune.

’Some people waiting to have their ticket money refunded seem to think I am holidaying in Barbados with their cash, but it’s just not true. I have lost far more money than them.’

Bush left Goff’s Aberdeen home seven weeks ago and is now living with his mother in Keith, Moray.

When asked about the claims he had taken £14,500, he said: ’These allegations have really come as a surprise to me, particularly when they are being made by people who I considered to be friends of mine.’

A spokesman for Grampian Police said: ’We are investigating an allegation of fraud