ED FORCE AND BOUGHT VILLAGE
epted the “Norwegian uncle” story to ain their sudden wealth. was even odder that no one at Scotland d got wind of the millionaire lifestyle of r £42,000-a-year accountant. Williams spread his money across banks building societies in Scotland, London the Channel Islands. He brought a villa pain, three homes in Surrey, a flat in tminster and rented one in Mayfair.
Kilt
ut it was in Scotland where his stolen lth made most impact. Tomintoul was a py Grampian village of 320 people, said e the highest in the Highlands. In 1989 decided to buy a large chunk of it. irst Williams forked out £70,000 for the of Laird – and not content with one dal title, he bought himself another eight cost of £144,000. ppearing at weekends in tweeds or somees a kilt, Williams bought cottages, the ckhouse tearooms, a grand Manse – the church minister’s house – and the Gordon Hotel, which he had restored at the cost of £1.5million.
He even had the cheek to apply to the Moray Enterprise Board for a business grant, and it provided £3million for regeneration.
The good folk of Tomintoul hailed Williams as a saviour. He created dozens of jobs at his hotel, pub and restaurant, which at one time employed seven chefs.
And even after his arrest in 1994, many spoke well of him. “So it was money from London?” said one shopkeeper. “Big deal! Tony did a damn sight more good with it up here than it would have done down south.”
Another local said: “I know what he did was wrong. But he put most of it into our wee village. It made Tomintoul a better place.”
Williams, then aged 55, was charged with 19 cases of theft, asking for another 535 to be taken into account. He declined to call any character witnesses, telling the Old Bailey: “I don’t want to put my good friends in the box to say I was honest. Obviously, I haven’t been for years.”
His lawyer said the fraudster “felt terrible remorse for his sins. He has lied to his wife, lied to his friends – he has lived a lie.”
Handed a seven-year jail term, his 47-yearold wife vowed to stand by him.
A mere three years later, the couple were seen strolling hand in hand near the open prison from where he was shortly to be allowed early release – with only a fraction of the missing £5million recovered.