Tomintoul, Scotland - On Saturday night at The Grouse's Nest, they're still willing to raise a glas
or two to "Lord Williams" though now his title prompts laughter. And now they just call him "Tony"
There are those in this beautiful village in the mountains of Scotland (population, 320) who say th
y were never quite sureabout Anthony Williams, the soft-spoken, wealthy noble who arrived in 1986 w
th his well-dressed wife.
And there are others who say their suspicions were aroused over time, as the 55-year-old Mr. Willia
s, who appeared onweekends turned out in fine suits, bought up property after property, providing s
ch a large injection of cash into the villagethat he single-handedly brought the community back to
ife.
But no one could have possibly guessed the truth - that the man with endless money and a friendly m
nner was not a lordat all but a government employee living out a fantasy that he was a Scottish nob
e and paying for it by stealing funds fromScotland Yard.
About two weeks ago, a regretful Mr. Williams, who had worked for the London police since 1959 and
ad risen to a 65,000 a year position as deputy director of finance, was brought into court and sent
nced to seven and a half years inprison.
Estimates are that he poured nearly 5 million of the stolen money into the village and gave jobs t
43 people. And nowthat he has fallen upon dark days at least some villagers are sticking by him.
"I found him a very charming man, very friendly, considerate not at all proud" said Georgie McAl
ister, 70, themanager of the local museum whose family has been farming the surrounding hills for g
nerations. "It's hard to understandhow a clever person like him could mislead people like that. It'
sad. Of course, it did benefit the village. A lot of the propertieswere beautifully restored."
A few doors down the square, barber Donald Corr sat inside his shop and described how suspicions be
an to grow. "Everyonewondered where the money was coming from. Why was he spending it in a little p
ace in the mountains? Christ, he wouldn'thave gotten it back in 100 years."
According to the court, Mr. Williams stole more than 8 million over eight years. Most of it came f
om a secret fund thathad been placed under his sole authority and that was supposed to be used to p
y spies and conduct secret activities againstthe Irish Republican Army.
Instead, it went to create one more British lord.
Mr. Williams bought an estate with a fine brick house in England. He bought a beautiful home with w
ite walls and a poolin Spain. He bought noble titles at auctions, spending 95,000 to become the Lo
d of Chirnside, and then adding on 10 moreScottish titles.
But most of all, he sunk his dishonest gains into this village that captured his heart with its fin
stone cottages, its centralarea of green grass, green rows of hedges, and its fantastic view of ro
ling fields and pine forests disappearing into the distancelike the men of an ancient army marching
over the horizon.
He bought multiple cottages and fixed them up. He purchased the pub and made it into a fine place t
have a glass ofGlenlivet Scotch whiskey, produced only 10 miles (16 kilometers) to the north. And
ost of all, he bought the run-downGordon Arms Hotel and totally restored it, transforming it from a
mess into a glorious first-class hotel with 30 handsomelyfurnished rooms, wood-paneled stairs, fals
bookshelves with fake leather books and an outstanding restaurant.
"I would offer him three choices of glasses for the restaurant: an average one, a poor one, and fin
crystal. Always, he chosethe crystal. Nothing but the best," said David Abdy, who was chosen by Mr
Williams to manage the construction work andrun the businesses.
Mr. Williams deceived everyone, including Mr. Abdy and including even his own wife, telling them th
t he inherited themoney from a rich uncle. He was caught because his bank deposits were so large th
t they were noticed by the bank'smanagement. The bank notified the police, who discovered, to their
terrible embarrassment, that the criminal was one oftheir own.
The London police commissioner publicly apologized for poorly supervising his department. Under a h
stily madearrangement, the police will sell the properties, but at a substantial financial loss. Mr
Abdy, a 27-year-old businessman,acquired the bulk of the properties for about half a million pound
, obtaining bank loans and striking deals with various peopleto pay only a part of what they are ow
d by Mr. Williams.
In the only interview he has given since his arrest a year ago, Mr. Williams discussed his motives
or the crime with aLondon newspaper: "I discovered this bloody huge amount of money. I went from th
need to pay off a few debts to what canonly be described as greed. There is no way to justify it."
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