COMIC book with top tips on drug smuggling from a Midland supercriminal is being circulated at HMP Birmingham.Convicted drugs smuggler Anthony Cyril Spencer, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire has helped his son Jason Wilson to write Him & Hers Smuggling Vacation.Spencer was sentenced to six years in jail for importing cannabis in 2003 and has spent more than 20 years in prison.The book is based on a married Coventry couple who try to smuggle a large cannabis stash from Spain into the UK.
It features crime tips, including the best way to transport cannabis from the sea to dry land and safest way to communicate plans.It also describes in detail how police undertake surveillance operations.Jason said the book has proven a big hit at Winson Green where it is being widely read by inmates.And said he hopes it will be contained in prison libraries in the future.
But last night Birmingham Perry Barr Labour MP, Khalid Mahmood, said he was shocked that prisoners have been allowed to read the book.“I’m absolutely appalled,” he said. “I don’t want to stop former criminals writing about their experiences.“But to actually put information into a book like this which will only increase the criminal knowledge of inmates is highly dangerous.
“Prison authorities should have stopped this from getting into the wrong hands.
“We don’t want our prisons turning into universities of crime.”British police named the 59-year-old Spencer was the ‘most wanted’ criminal in Britain while investigating a multi million pound drugs factory in a remote farmhouse in the Midlands.Spencer fled to Holland in 2000, on suspicion of taking part in the plot to produce amphetamine sulphate and Ecstasy on the farm.And in 2006 he was cleared of killing 37-year-old David Royle, who was shot dead on May 26 2001 in Amsterdam, Holland.It was understood at the time that Spencer’s plea of self-defence was accepted – he was shot in the chest during the incident.
Jason, 37, who previously worked as an animator at Birmingham’s Custard Factory, said friends and relatives of Winson Green inmates have sent them copies of the book.
He said: “It’s selling incredibly well and is very popular in Winson Green
“I’m really glad about that, as that’s the audience I wanted to reach, since dad’s spent over 20 years of his life in prison.
“Also, the project started as a prison comic.
“It went from wing to wing in dad’s jail in Spain.“Now we’re getting great feedback from Winson Green. They say it’s ‘F***ing brilliant.’
“My ambition is to get loads of them into prison libraries around the country.”
Spencer, who now lives in Ireland and helps convicts receive legal representation, is also pleased his former inmates are able to read the book and believes it could prove very useful for them.He said: “I’m really glad this is proving to be a big hit with all my old pals in jail.“I wanted to make sure all the technical information was spot on, otherwise the book would have had no credibility.
“We’ve put the kind of authentic criminal detail into the comic that you’ll never get in crime movies
“This comic will be like the bible for inmates. Although it’s also great for youngsters, who can look at the pictures.”
But Jason said he doesn’t want his book to make the criminals look like heroes.He said: “I don’t want to glamourise them, like one of these Guy Richie movies. Criminals are very hard people to envy.
“They have all been to prison. They all have bad backgrounds. They are all dysfunctional.“But they certainly aren’t ignorant or dumb.
“The ones I’ve met through my father are all passionate about crime, and are more intelligent than they are given credit for.“That’s what can make them terrifying.”
Spencer changed his family name from Wilson to avoid police pressure.
And Jason admits being raised by one of the Midland’s most notorious criminals was a traumatic experience.“I didn’t realise what dad did for a living when I was a young kid,” he said. “When dad was in prison when I was seven, I was told that he was going off to college.
“But when I was 10 he was imprisoned for armed robbery, then it was explained to me what had actually happened.“It was a stressful life. With my dad going in and out of prison, the family was in turmoil.“My parents ended up getting divorced, and we moved houses and schools.“When I didn’t know anybody in a new area, that’s really when my passion for drawing took off.”Jason said he now wants his father to steer clear of gangsters.He hopes that crime capers will permanently be replaced by comic capering.“Parents are always meant to worry about their kids,” said Jason. “Instead it’s always been me worrying about dad.“I’d much rather that he was helping me write comic books all the time.“If this one really takes off, hopefully it will keep dad away from all the bad stuff.
“He’s 59 now, and still suffers from infections because of the bullet shrapnel that exploded in his body in Holland, and is still there.“I definitely think it’s time he retired for good.”
It took the two men a couple of years to complete the comic. Jason devised and wrote the story, about a foolish young Midland couple, who stumble into a world of depraved drug smuggling while on holiday.
He then posted pages of script to his father in his Spanish prison cell, who ensured the criminal activities were accurate.
“If dad didn’t know any of the details, he was surrounded by people who did know,” Jason said.Finally, the younger man provided the colourful cartoons.
One of the characters – a grey haired master-criminal – has been sketched to resemble his dad.During the project, over 2,000 letters were sent between father and son.They have always been close.Both West Midlands Police and the Prison Service declined to comment.
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