Nocturnal 
Paul Ferris, the notorious former Glasgow gangster whose life story inspired the Bafta-winning film The Wee Man, has died at the age of 62.
Ferris, known for years as “the Wee Man”, was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow on Sunday after a brief illness and died on Tuesday, it has emerged.
He first became a household name in 1992 after being acquitted at the High Court in Glasgow of murdering Arthur Thompson Jnr, son of notorious Glasgow crime boss Arthur Thompson Snr, in what was at the time the longest criminal trial in Scottish legal history.
Ferris had reportedly worked as an enforcer for Thompson Snr, growing up in the tough Blackhill area of Glasgow before becoming entangled in the city’s underworld through the 1980s and 1990s.
He later faced a separate trial at the Old Bailey in London in 1998, where he was convicted of conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons, dealing in firearms and possessing explosives. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, later reduced to seven.
From prison cell to the big screen
It was behind bars that Ferris wrote his first book, The Ferris Conspiracy, which formed the basis for The Wee Man – a Bafta-winning film in which Line of Duty star Martin Compston played him.
After his release in 2001, Ferris said he had gone straight, building a legitimate career with interests in a security firm and a construction company. He went on to publish five books about his years in crime.
Speaking to the Daily Record in July, Ferris insisted he had never been tempted back into his old life, “even if he received an offer that he couldn’t refuse,” saying: “I have either been an absolute criminal genius for the last 25 years or I have done nothing wrong. Take your pick.”
He acknowledged that some people remained sceptical about his reform, but had been looking ahead to two planned follow-up films to The Wee Man, telling the paper he hoped to use any proceeds to help settle a tax bill.
Ferris was father to five children, and had said publicly that none of them had any involvement in criminal activity.
A family friend said: “This has come as a great shock to everyone who knew Paul over the years.”
Why it matters
Ferris’s story became one of the most widely told accounts of Glasgow’s organised crime scene in the late 20th century, largely because of the scale of his 1992 trial and his later, unusually public attempt to reinvent himself as a legitimate businessman and author.
The Wee Man brought his story to a mainstream audience well beyond Scotland, cementing his reputation as one of the most recognisable figures linked to British gangland folklore.
His death has been confirmed by family and reported by the Daily Record and Daily Star, with tributes focusing on how unexpected the news was. No further details on his illness have been released, and his family have asked for privacy at what they describe as an extremely difficult time.
