Paul Ferris, former Glasgow gangland figure, dies aged 62

Paul Ferris, a notorious former Glasgow gangland enforcer and author, has died at the age of 62. He passed away at University Hospital in Glasgow following a short illness.

Ferris gained national prominence in 1992 after being acquitted of the murder of Arthur Thompson Jnr in a trial that was, at the time, the longest and most expensive in Scottish criminal history. Due to his ability to evade serious criminal charges, police nicknamed him ‘Houdini’.

In 1998, Ferris was convicted following ‘Operation Abonar’, an undercover investigation involving MI5 and various police forces. He was found guilty of conspiring to transfer prohibited weapons, including submachine guns and ammunition, to Glasgow. After serving his sentence, Ferris claimed to have transitioned into legitimate business in the security and construction industries and authored several books about his life, one of which was adapted into the film ‘The Wee Man’.