Paul Ferris, a notorious figure in Glasgow's underworld who later wrote books about his life of crime, has died aged 62. He is believed to have passed away on Tuesday night at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital following a short illness.
Ferris was acquitted in 1992 of the murder of Arthur Thompson Jnr, the son of crime boss Arthur Thompson, who was shot dead outside the family home in Glasgow's Blackhill in August 1991. His trial was described at the time as the longest and most expensive criminal case in Scottish legal history, lasting 54 days with more than 300 witnesses, at an estimated cost of £4m. The prosecution case relied heavily on the evidence of Dennis Woodman, who claimed Ferris had confessed to the killing while both were held in Barlinnie Prison. Defence lawyers challenged the credibility of that evidence. After more than 24 hours of deliberation, the jury cleared Ferris of murder and all other charges. No one has ever been convicted of Thompson Jnr's killing.
In 1998, Ferris was jailed for seven years for gun-running. After his release, he turned to writing, publishing his first book, The Ferris Conspiracy, in 2001 with writer Reg McKay, who died in 2011. The book was adapted into the 2013 film The Wee Man, starring Martin Compston. Photographer Brian Anderson, who first met Ferris for a newspaper assignment in 2002, broke the news of his death.