A former business associate of Paul Ferris has said the late Glasgow gangster’s millions made from organised crime may never be found.
Ferris, who died last week after a short illness, was a notorious name in Scotland’s underworld before later reinventing himself as an author and celebrity.
Former associate speaks out
A former associate said: “Paul was a shrewd businessman and his previous career is well documented.
“He lived down in Ayrshire. He bought lots of land there and lived in several houses over the last two decades.
“He moved a lot because he had to. The kind of money these guys were dealing with back then was phenomenal.
“I doubt that kind of money is kept under the mattress. It wouldn’t surprise me if there was more squirrelled away but no one will ever find it. Paul was always too smart.”
Murder trial and acquittal
In 1992, Ferris was cleared of murdering Arthur Thompson jnr, the son of Glasgow crime boss Arthur Thompson.
Ferris was the prime suspect, while associates Joe “Bananas” Hanlon and Bobby Glover were also implicated in the case.
Both Hanlon and Glover were found shot dead in a car on the route of Thompson jnr’s funeral cortege. Their murders remain unsolved.
Ferris’s trial became, at the time, the longest and most expensive criminal case in Scottish legal history, with 300 witnesses called.
Gun running conviction and writing career
Then, in 1998, he was jailed at the Old Bailey for his involvement in a gun running conspiracy.
He was released in 2002 but while inside, he turned to writing about his life. His first book, The Ferris Conspiracy, was published in 2001 and became a best-seller.
It was later adapted for the big screen in The Wee Man, with Martin Compston playing Ferris. He went on to write Vendetta and Villains with crime writer Reg McKay.
