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Gangland figure Paul Ferris dies aged 62

Paul Ferris, the Glasgow gangland figure turned author, has died aged 62 after a short illness. He was acquitted of murder in 1992 and later wrote books, one of which became the film The Wee Man.

2 outlets · 0L · 2C · 0R First reported Account updated
Image: BBC News
Image: Evening Standard

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The story, neutrally told

Centre · 2Paul Ferris, a Glasgow gangland figure who became an author, has died aged 62. Centre · 2He is believed to have died on Tuesday night at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital after a short illness; the Evening Standard cites the Daily Record for this. Centre · 1Photographer Brian Anderson, who first met Ferris on a newspaper assignment in 2002, broke the news on his Naked City Facebook page and told BBC Scotland News he found Ferris "polite, funny and kind".

Centre · 1Ferris was cleared in 1992 of murdering Arthur Thompson Jnr, son of crime boss Arthur Thompson, who was shot dead outside the family's Blackhill home in August 1991. He was later jailed for seven years in 1998 for gun-running. Centre · 1The BBC says his trial was described at the time as the longest and most expensive in Scottish legal history: more than 300 witnesses over 54 days, at an estimated cost of £4m. Centre · 1The prosecution relied heavily on Dennis Woodman, who claimed Ferris confessed while both were held in Barlinnie Prison. Defence lawyers challenged his credibility, and the jury acquitted Ferris of murder and all other charges after more than 24 hours of deliberation. No-one has been convicted of the killing.

Centre · 1The Evening Standard adds that the elder Thompson, believing Ferris responsible, "declared war" on him, and that on the day of the son's funeral two of Ferris's friends, Joe Hanlon and Bobby Glover, were found dead. Centre · 2Ferris's debut book, The Ferris Conspiracy, co-written with Reg McKay (who died in 2011), was published in 2001. It was adapted into the 2013 film The Wee Man, starring Martin Compston. Centre · 1Ferris once said watching the film was "very humbling" and "an emotional rollercoaster", and that he needed fresh air during the first minutes.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre2 outlets

Framing
Both outlets report an obituary-style account of a former gangster turned author, anchored on his 1992 acquittal and his books and film.
Emphasis
BBC stresses the trial's scale, the 1998 gun-running sentence and a friend's tribute; the Standard stresses the Thompson feud and Ferris's own reflections on the film.
Leaves out or plays down
The Standard omits the 1998 gun-running conviction and trial detail; the BBC omits the killings of Hanlon and Glover and Ferris's comments on the film.
Charged language
“Notorious gangland enforcer”“Crime boss turned author”“declared war”
For example
“A Glasgow gangland enforcer who wrote books about his underworld experiences has died at the age of 62.” — BBC News
“The crime boss, believing Mr Ferris was responsible, “declared war” on him” — Evening Standard

Right0 outlets

No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.