Paul Ferris, the notorious Glasgow gangster who died aged 62, spent years locked in a bitter feud with rival kingpin Tam 'The Licensee' McGraw. The pair were initially allies under crime godfather Arthur Thompson Snr, but became sworn enemies after Ferris suspected McGraw of being a police informant.
A fall-out that turned Glasgow into a warzone
Ferris passed away at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow on Tuesday following a short illness. He first came to public attention in 1992 when he was cleared at the High Court in Glasgow of the murder of Arthur Thompson Jnr, son of crime godfather Arthur Thompson Snr, in what was then the longest-running trial in Scottish criminal history.
McGraw earned the nickname 'The Licensee' because rival criminals believed police gave him a literal license to build a drug empire without fear of arrest, in exchange for intelligence on other gangsters. Ferris publicly humiliated McGraw in his first autobiography, written while serving a prison sentence in the late 1990s, naming him as a police grass and warning McGraw should 'fear the onslaught that will follow.'
Violent clash and prison return
In May 2002, Ferris and McGraw were involved in a violent brawl that left McGraw slashed and Ferris with knife wounds. A police surveillance meeting involving Ferris after the attack led to his parole being revoked and his return to prison. McGraw later spent time in Ireland and Spain to avoid the underworld backlash sparked by the feud. He died in July 2007, aged 55, after suffering a heart attack in hospital surrounded by loved ones.
From crime to writing and film
Ferris always claimed he went straight after his release from prison in 2001, becoming a legitimate businessman with interests in a security firm and a construction company. He wrote five books documenting his criminal past. His last public photograph showed him meeting River City star Paul Brannigan at Molly Malone's pub in Glasgow city centre in June to discuss a planned movie called Ferris, set to begin in 1993 and tell the tale of his arrest and imprisonment on gun-running charges before he gave up crime to become a successful author. Brannigan, 38, was lined up for the role 13 years after Martin Compston's portrayal of Ferris in The Wee Man, meeting with Ferris and director Ray Burdis to discuss the sequel and how to build on the first film's success.
