Met acts to recover stolen police funds

Roger Pearson looks at the civil action to recover money from the Scotland Yard accountant who stole to fund his lavish lifestyle

Court action is not yet over for shamed Scotland Yard accountant Anthony Williams, who was jailed in May for seven-and-a-half years after being convicted of massive theft from his police bosses.

Williams, who is said to have stolen £5 million over a nine-year period, now faces civil court action. He is believed to have used the money to pay for a double life spent partly as a commuter-belt civil servant and partly as baronial master of a Scottish village.

While the criminal charges against him have been completed, the receiver for the

Metropolitan Police is now taking Williams to the High Court in a bid to recover some of the money.

Even before Williams stood in the dock in May, civil court litigation was already up and running against him in the High Court.

A writ was issued last September with temporary injunctions already having been taken out to freeze assets believed to have been purchased with money he had stolen.

The action pending in the High Court is against Williams, his wife Kay, and against a company called Tomintoul Enterprises Ltd. Orders are to be sought for assets and cash totalling more than £1.9 million, to be made over to the Metropolitan Police by Williams and his wife.

A similar order is being sought in respect of more than £460,000 said to have passed into the hands of Tomintoul.

A schedule of items claimed includes properties in Glenlivet, New Malden, Haslemere and Malaga. Other claims are mounted in respect of two Land Rovers, a sports car and a saloon car.

There is also a claim in progress against Williams alone in respect of £60,000 for the Barony of Chirnside.

If the case runs its full course more details are expected to emerge of the amazing double life Williams is said to have funded with the money he took.