Reg Spiers
Encyclopedia
Reginald "Reg" Spiers is a former leading Australian athlete who competed in the javelin
throw at the 1962 Commonwealth Games
before his conviction on drug smuggling
charges.
Born in Adelaide
, Spiers, who grew to be over two metres tall and strongly built, took up javelin and became one of the leading javelin throwers in Australia while still a teenager, placing third in the 1960/61 Australian Track and Field Championships and second in 1961/62.
His results led to his qualification for the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia
, where he came fifth with a best throw of 69.70 metres.
Spiers continued to compete but his performances during the 1963/64 Australian summer were not enough to gain admission to the 1964 Australian Olympic team
so Spiers travelled to England in an attempt to qualify during the English summer. Unsuccessful and penniless by the end of the season, Spiers enlisted a fellow athlete to help him build a man-sized wooden box, in which he then air-freighted himself back to Australia. Referred to as having "heroic - albeit borderline delusional gumption" for his actions, Spiers eventually made it to Perth, although nearly dehydrating on the runway in Mumbai
.
After a brief retirement, Spiers returned to competitive athletics in the 1966/67 season, winning the national javelin championship with a throw of 73.77 metres. The next season, Spiers recorded his best ever throw of 74.45 metres but only finished third nationally. Spiers continued to compete until 1980/81, again winning the national javelin throw in 1976/77 with a throw of 73.68 metres.
and charged in the Adelaide Courts for conspiracy to import $AUD
1.2 million of cocaine
and cannabis
resin into Australia in 1980. Spiers pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years gaol, but disappeared from Adelaide in October 1981.
Spiers next appeared in India
, where he was arrested on 5 January 1982 on charges of being a drug courier, which led to questions being asked in the Australian parliament
about his passport.
After escaping from India, Spiers was next arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport
in Sri Lanka
on 1 December 1984 while travelling on a French passport under the name Patrick Claude Albert Ledoux. Sri Lankan Customs officials found 41 packets of drugs, including 1 kg (2.2 lb) of heroin, hidden in a cassette recorder in Spiers's possession.
On 2 June 1987, Spiers was found guilty of four counts of possessing heroin and one count of possessing hashish
and sentenced to death A successful appeal earned Spiers a reprieve, but he was forced to serve a five-year gaol term in Adelaide.
In 2011, Spiers's daughter Jane was convicted on counts of manufacturing a controlled drug, and one count of doing so for sale. Jane Spiers was gaoled for six years, with a three-year non-parole period.
Javelin
A Javelin is a light spear intended for throwing. It is commonly known from the modern athletic discipline, the Javelin throw.Javelin may also refer to:-Aviation:* ATG Javelin, an American-Israeli civil jet aircraft, under development...
throw at the 1962 Commonwealth Games
1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia from 22 November-1 December 1962. Athletic events were held at Perry Lakes Stadium in the suburb of Floreat and swimming events at Beatty Park in North Perth....
before his conviction on drug smuggling
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
charges.
Born in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Spiers, who grew to be over two metres tall and strongly built, took up javelin and became one of the leading javelin throwers in Australia while still a teenager, placing third in the 1960/61 Australian Track and Field Championships and second in 1961/62.
His results led to his qualification for the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, where he came fifth with a best throw of 69.70 metres.
Spiers continued to compete but his performances during the 1963/64 Australian summer were not enough to gain admission to the 1964 Australian Olympic team
Australia at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Australia competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. 243 competitors, 203 men and 40 women, took part in 133 events in 19 sports...
so Spiers travelled to England in an attempt to qualify during the English summer. Unsuccessful and penniless by the end of the season, Spiers enlisted a fellow athlete to help him build a man-sized wooden box, in which he then air-freighted himself back to Australia. Referred to as having "heroic - albeit borderline delusional gumption" for his actions, Spiers eventually made it to Perth, although nearly dehydrating on the runway in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
After a brief retirement, Spiers returned to competitive athletics in the 1966/67 season, winning the national javelin championship with a throw of 73.77 metres. The next season, Spiers recorded his best ever throw of 74.45 metres but only finished third nationally. Spiers continued to compete until 1980/81, again winning the national javelin throw in 1976/77 with a throw of 73.68 metres.
Post-athletic career
Following his retirement from athletics, Spiers became involved in drug smuggling and was arrested by the Australian Federal PoliceAustralian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
and charged in the Adelaide Courts for conspiracy to import $AUD
Aud
Aud might refer to*Australian dollar *Ambedkar University, Delhi *American University in Dubai *Doctor of Audiology *Auðr, the son of Nótt and Naglfari in Norse mythology...
1.2 million of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
and cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
resin into Australia in 1980. Spiers pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years gaol, but disappeared from Adelaide in October 1981.
Spiers next appeared in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where he was arrested on 5 January 1982 on charges of being a drug courier, which led to questions being asked in the Australian parliament
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
about his passport.
After escaping from India, Spiers was next arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport
Bandaranaike International Airport
Bandaranaike International Airport is Sri Lanka's only international airport at the moment. Mattala International Airport, when it gets built will be the second International Airport of Sri Lanka. It is located in Katunayake, north of Colombo...
in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
on 1 December 1984 while travelling on a French passport under the name Patrick Claude Albert Ledoux. Sri Lankan Customs officials found 41 packets of drugs, including 1 kg (2.2 lb) of heroin, hidden in a cassette recorder in Spiers's possession.
On 2 June 1987, Spiers was found guilty of four counts of possessing heroin and one count of possessing hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
and sentenced to death A successful appeal earned Spiers a reprieve, but he was forced to serve a five-year gaol term in Adelaide.
In 2011, Spiers's daughter Jane was convicted on counts of manufacturing a controlled drug, and one count of doing so for sale. Jane Spiers was gaoled for six years, with a three-year non-parole period.