Paul Ferris, a Glasgow underworld figure who later became a published author documenting his criminal past, has died at the age of 62. He passed away on Tuesday, 6 October at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital following a brief illness, after being admitted on Sunday, 4 October.
Ferris achieved notoriety in the 1980s and 1990s as an enforcer in Glasgow's gangland scene. He was tried for the 1991 murder of Arthur Thompson Jnr, son of crime boss Arthur Thompson, but was acquitted in 1992 after a landmark trial. He was later convicted of gun-running and served seven years in prison from 1998.
In his later years, Ferris reinvented himself as a writer, publishing several books about his experiences in Glasgow's criminal underworld. His first book, The Ferris Conspiracy, appeared in 2001 and was adapted into the 2013 film The Wee Man, which featured Line of Duty actor Martin Compston in the lead role.
The Thompson Jnr murder trial
Arthur Thompson Jnr was shot dead outside his family home in Blackhill in August 1991. The trial of Ferris, which commenced in 1992, became a landmark case in Scottish legal history. Described at the time as the longest and most expensive criminal prosecution ever conducted in Scotland, the proceedings lasted 54 days and involved testimony from more than 300 witnesses. The case was estimated to have cost £4 million.
The Crown's case depended substantially on evidence from Dennis Woodman, an inmate at Barlinnie Prison who claimed Ferris had confessed to the killing while they were both detained there. Defence counsel challenged Woodman's credibility and argued that the prosecution's case contained fundamental weaknesses. After deliberating for more than 24 hours, the jury found Ferris not guilty of murder and acquitted him of all other charges in 1992. The killing of Thompson Jnr has never been solved, and no one has been convicted in connection with it.
From criminal to author
Following his acquittal, Ferris collaborated with writer Reg McKay to produce a series of books exploring his life in Glasgow's underworld. McKay died in 2011. According to reports from the time, a sequel covering Ferris's life from 1992 to 2002 was due to begin filming before his death.
Ferris was born in Blackhill, the youngest of six children, and began his working life as a brewery van boy after leaving school at 16. According to accounts of his criminal history, his early offences included working as a getaway driver for a jewellery robbery after being offered £500; by the age of 19, he had become an enforcer within Arthur Thompson's criminal circle. In 1997, an undercover police operation intercepted Ferris transporting three MAC-10 submachine guns, Uzi magazines, silencers and ammunition concealed in an Opal Fruits box. This led to his conviction for gun-running and a seven-year prison sentence.
Life after prison
After his release, Ferris became known to a wider audience through his books and the film adaptation of his story. Photographer Brian Anderson, who first encountered Ferris during a newspaper assignment in 2002, maintained a friendship with him for 25 years. Anderson announced Ferris's death on his Naked City Facebook page, describing him as a best-selling author and former criminal whose passing would be
a shock to many who knew him throughout the different chapters of his life.
Speaking to a national broadcaster's news service, Anderson reflected on their long friendship, saying:
We got on really well. I found him polite, funny and kind. It was a shock to everyone that I remained friends with Paul for 25 years.
According to accounts from those close to him, Ferris's death came as a shock to family and friends, with no one aware that he had been seriously unwell. He had five children and had stated publicly that none of them were involved in criminal activity.
Key Facts
- Ferris was acquitted of murdering Arthur Thompson Jnr in 1992 after a 54-day trial involving more than 300 witnesses, the longest criminal case in Scottish legal history at the time
- He was convicted of gun-running in 1998 and served seven years in prison
- His memoir The Ferris Conspiracy was published in 2001 and adapted into the film The Wee Man in 2013, starring Martin Compston
- Thompson Jnr's murder in August 1991 remains unsolved, with no one ever convicted of the killing
- Ferris died on 6 October at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after a short illness
