Former Scottish gangland figure Paul Ferris has died at a Glasgow hospital following a brief illness. His death marks the end of one of the country’s most publicized criminal histories. Ferris passed away on Tuesday at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after being admitted over the weekend, as confirmed by initial reports from the Daily Record.
Born in Blackhill, Glasgow, Ferris grew up 300 yards from the home of notorious crime boss Arthur Thompson Snr. His entry into the criminal underworld began at age 19. He worked briefly as a van boy before quickly rising to become a feared enforcer under Thompson Snr during the 1980s.
Rise and Rift in the Glasgow Underworld
During his time as an enforcer for the Thompson family, Ferris became central to Glasgow’s violent gangland conflicts. In 1984, he faced legal scrutiny and was cleared of charges related to the botched shooting of John Hogg. That incident involved an intended hit on Willie Gibson, financed by Thompson Snr, which instead left Hogg with severe thigh injuries.
The working relationship deteriorated rapidly in the late 1980s. Ferris broke away from Thompson Snr after allegations that the Thompson family orchestrated a drug bust against him while he was staying on the Isle of Bute. This deep rift escalated tensions across the city. It directly preceded the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Arthur Thompson Jr outside his home in Provanmill in 1991.
Legacy and Later Years
Ferris’s life after the underworld remained a subject of intense public scrutiny. It was marked by subsequent trials, book publications, and media engagement detailing the violent realities of Glasgow’s past criminal syndicates. His admission to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital on Sunday preceded his death on Tuesday from an undisclosed illness, closing a decades-long chapter that heavily influenced modern Scottish crime history and law enforcement records.
