A CITY author has written the intriguing biography of his dad who was a Coventry bank robber, counterfeiter and international drug smuggler.
Through ‘The Old Man and Me’, Jason Wilson wanted to tell his father’s story but making sure not to glamorise or dramatise the criminal aspects.
Jason’s dad Anthony Spencer was born in Coventry in 1949 and after leaving school became a very successful businessman.
He started out as a bike mechanic in Earlsdon before moving into running his own furniture shops.
He then set up a national mainland gas company in Far Gosford Street which employed a substantial number of people and went on to open two ‘Bodycare’ gymnasiums.
One of those – also in Far Gosford Street – is still there, operating under a different name.
But Anthony’s ambitions got the better of him and – in Jason’s words – ‘he expanded one of the gyms too quickly’ which jeopardised his companies’ financial wellbeing.
Jason said: “He was asset rich but cash poor and he ended up robbing a bank, instantly switching from a businessman to a criminal.”
Anthony was caught and in 1982 was sentenced to ten years in prison.
Jason said: “It came as a massive shock and tore the family apart – up until then he was a well-respected businessman who employed many people.
“I was only 11 and remembered the impact it had – my mum and dad divorced.”
After being released it was not long before Anthony was in serious trouble again and he was convicted of forging American dollars for which he was handed an 11-year sentence.
Jason said: “That was considered very serious by the courts and the FBI were involved, along with the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad on one of their final cases before it was disbanded.
“By now he was a high profile criminal – all the energy he had once used to start up businesses and make them a success was now being used in crime.”
After his release this time, Anthony became involved in international drug smuggling, illegally importing hash and amphetamine.
“The ironic thing was that he was quite clean-living – he didn’t take drugs and didn’t even smoke – he hated smoking.
“I think he saw himself as a ‘libertarian’ – he said he did not believe in Class A drugs and would not import them but he said if people wanted to take Class B and C substances he would give them the opportunity, obviously making money in the process.”
In a trial in Birmingham, Anthony was found not guilty but with a second one looming he absconded and ended up in Amsterdam.
Here a drug dealer Anthony had crossed tried to kidnap him which culminated in a shootout in the docklands. One man died and Anthony was shot in the chest.
Jason said: “I remember going out to Holland to see if he would pull through.
“He did but he had the remnants of the bullet in his chest which he was told would cause him problems if he did not have them removed.”
Instead he opted to flee to Spain and was still involved in hash and amphetamine smuggling.
He came back to England in 2007 but, still involved with illegal importation, he was caught again for drug smuggling.
It was a major seizure with the authorities in the UK and Holland working together to bring down the operation.
A plea bargaining between the ten defendants saw them each sentenced to five years in 2010.
After just a year of serving the term, Anthony was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer – thought to have been caused in part by the bullet fragments in his chest – and he was released on compassionate grounds.
He returned to where it all began when he was 21 and started another successful venture selling furniture he would pick up free from websites and reconditioning it before selling it on.
Anthony died in 2015.
Jason – an ex-animator and graphic novelist, a psychology graduate and care worker- wanted to tell his dad’s incredible story so wrote the book.
Through the writing process it took Jason on his dad’s journey and helped him understand how he came to do what he did and the reader is taken on that same journey.
“With all his businesses in the early days, he should have been a wealthy man through legal means but he took a wrong turn and invested all his time and efforts in crime.
“I’ve been told by people who met him that you would never have guessed about his criminality – he was charming, charismatic, handsome, polite – he lived a fascinating life full of contradictions and I wanted to put it on record and share it.”
Several publishers wanted the rights but Jason chose Mirror Books which was happy to print it in its 375-page entirety.
Jason will be doing two book signings this Saturday, March 5 – between 11am and 1pm at Kenilworth Books and from 2pm to 4pm at Waterstones in Coventry.
The Old Man and Me is available from Waterstones, WH Smith and Amazon, as well as other outlets.
