Paul Ferris, the Glasgow gangster cleared of murder in 1992, gave his last interview in July this year, discussing his plans for two film sequels and his efforts to go straight.
Acquittal and trial
Ferris was acquitted on June 12, 1992, of murdering convicted drug dealer Arthur Thompson Jnr. The subsequent murder trial, which began the following March, lasted 56 days and cost an estimated £4 million. He was also cleared of attempting to murder Arthur Thompson Snr by repeatedly driving a car at him and threatening to murder William Gillen by shooting him in the leg. Charges of illegal possession of a firearm and supplying heroin, cocaine and ecstasy were also thrown out by the jury.
After his acquittal, Ferris disappeared under the radar but re-emerged four years later after his arrest in a dramatic police raid in Mayfair, London. He was convicted at the Old Bailey in London in 1998 and sentenced to ten years imprisonment, later reduced to seven, after being convicted of gun running and possessing explosives.
Books and films
While in prison, he co-authored his best-selling biography The Ferris Conspiracy with Reg McKay and has since published four other books. A film based on his life, The Wee Man, featuring Line of Duty star Martin Compston as Ferris, was released in 2013. The Wee Man told the story of Ferris growing up in the tough Blackhill area of Glasgow in the 70s and 80s and how he came to work as an enforcer for Arthur Thompson Snr.
The sequel, titled Ferris, was to cover the period from 1992-2002 when he moved down south and was arrested in London on gun running charges and jailed at the Old Bailey. The third movie, called Going Straight, planned to document the time he was released from prison to the present day and tell of his bid to become a legitimate businessman and battles with the authorities to prove he had mended his ways.
Going straight
In the exclusive interview, Ferris admitted that any money he made from the movies would be used to settle a long-running five-figure tax debt. Ferris said: "At the end of the films, the question will be, 'Was it all worth it?' I am not doing any of this to be the big gangster - I am doing it to tell my life story. It's about how somebody living that life might not see where they are going. They end up changing paths. You go to prison to spend your time and take your punishment. Then you're supposed to come out and rehabilitate. That journey for me was the hardest one I've ever done."
When asked about the moment he decided to go straight, Ferris said that it was while he was in prison in London following his arrest for gun running that he had his "eureka" moment. It came after he learned that MI5 had carried out a lengthy photographic surveillance on him. Ferris continued: "You can't fight the government. It's impossible. It doesn't matter what sort of criminality you are involved in. If the Government and MI5 are on to you then you are on their radar for the rest of your life." Ferris added that the MI5 surveillance snaps were particularly revealing, when he realised for the first time he had a bald patch.
Gang wars and family
Ferris also said he was aware of the recent gang wars that have been sweeping Scotland, related to the long-running feud between the Lyons and Daniel crime families. He added: "I know both the Lyons and Daniel families and they know my position - it's always been neutrality. I don't get involved. I am doing what I am doing. I'm writing books. I'm earning a living and I am not involved in that world."
Ferris has five children and said none of them were involved in crime. He claimed he had never been tempted to go back to his old life, even if he received an offer that 'he couldn't refuse.' He was also aware that some people might not believe he has gone completely straight given his past reputation. Ferris added: "I have either been an absolute criminal genius for the last 25 years or I have done nothing wrong. Take your pick."
