A sniper waited for him after he had been chased through Glasgow by another hitman. In 1966 he escaped death when a bomb exploded in his MG sports car, but his mother-in-law, in the passenger seat, was killed. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Thompson was one of the most feared criminals in Scotland. Another police file from 1969 said: "Thompson is one of the leading criminal lights in Glasgow with connections in London.". So the person in charge would have to have been something very special, and Arthur was certainly that.. Jurors also come under attack and are provided with police bodyguards for the duration. MS-13 worked with Mexican drug cartels regularly and is becoming ever more active in the United States. Brothers Martin, George and Henry Welsh, 24, were charged with murdering Margaret and attempting to kill Arthur in the revenge attack. Failure to pay him what you owed resulted in a painful punishment. READ MORE:The Glasgow Crime Story of Eleni Pachou who was murdered in her work Di Maggio's. gemini and scorpio parents gabi wilson net worth 2021. rita thompson glasgow. When they arrived in Los Angeles, they encountered an established system of Latin gangs and were not welcome. Rita Thompson building. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Obituaries & obituary notices in Glasgow. It may be one of the few occasions when the law had got the better of him. The young Detective Constable got out of his own car and ran to a nearby petrol station to phone the emergency services, where he also found Thompson who then sped off. However, Thompson said the pairs reputation would damage the bands career. However, Rita never sang a note. Glasgow's original Godfather: Walter Norval. It was at this point he even joked about speaking with cotton wool in his mouth. Join Facebook to connect with Rita and others you may know. He is said to run his empire from a luxury yacht. Family and friends must say goodbye to their beloved Rita Thompson (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma), who passed away at the age of 64, on August 18, 2021. Arthur was also involved in legitimate enterprises such as pubs, demolition, corner shops, garages, and carpet showrooms to keep his assets hidden and launder money from his various criminal enterprises. For Norval the past was not just a different country but one with a language and culture he did not understand. [4] Thompson then went on to invest his money into legitimate businesses, which grew more and more over the years, making him a very wealthy man. Initially, the group was in favor of female circumcision and later adopted rituals such as wearing dreadlocks and swearing oaths like the Mau Mau rebels who fought against Britain in the 1960s. In the past, the journalists job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. In 1963, in what became known as The War of Norval's Ear, he lost a piece of it when it was bitten off in a backstreet brawl by another toerag named Big Mick Gibson. The first milestone he set himself was to go to Borstal, which he achieved at 16 after breaking into a Hope Street office and holding up a newsagent with a fake gun. Glasgow mum and daughter duo launch interiors shop in heart of Shawlands. One of his main sources of income over the years was providing protection to pubs in the city. The truth about the slaying of Arthur 'Fat Boy' Thompson Junior, eldest son of the godfather of Glasgow's biggest criminal clan, outside his home in the Provanmill district in 1991, has been. Today, there is an estimated 70,000 members throughout Central and North America. At one time, he had at least 20 pubs in Glasgow paying him 4000 each week. The Mungiki was linked to a triple murder in the United States and also mutilated and decapitated a 2-year old boy as part of a bizarre ritual. Thompson suspected both men of being involved in his sons murder and is said to have paid a hitman 20,000 to execute them. She had lived in the same house in Provanmill since Mr. There was to be further drama that day as there was also a bomb scare at the cemetery where Thompson Jr was due to be buried. In 1988 Arthur was shot in the groin outside The Ponderosa. READ MORE:The Glasgow crime story of the mysterious murder of wealthy Marion Gilchrist in 1908. Which was only partly true because he hurt many nobodies. Another underworld figure vying for control is a 65-year-old Scot, Billy Blackledge, who has been on the run from the FBI for 10 years for his involvement in a 10 million drugs deal involving Hell's Angels from Canada. Glasgow's gangsters - Arthur Thompson, the Godfather, Killings of Patrick Welsh and James Goldie, "Fears gangland enforcer Ferris moving in on Capital cab trade", http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/861134.stm, https://web.archive.org/web/20051227034428/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/s2.cfm?id=474552002, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthur_Thompson_(gangster)&oldid=1115792863, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 October 2022, at 06:54. A 22-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Neil Canney in Greenock. He accused Paul Ferris, a former enforcer for the gang, of trying to kill him in 1988. Honey Boo Boo star Alana Thompson's boyfriend Dralin . Family and friends gathered in Motherwell to pay their respects to little Isabella Grace Docherty and lit lanterns for the five-year-old who died hours after complaining of feeling sick. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Secret reports on Thompson from the late 1960s made public for the first time by the Scottish Government in 2010 present a chilling portrait of the man. This photo license is intended for editorial use only. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Shortly afterwards, he spotted two men he suspected of the attack, Patrick Welsh and James Goldie, members of the rival Welsh family Blackhill gang. It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse. Thank you to whichever member of staff was responsible! In time-honoured tradition, Thompson failed to speak out against the brothers and they were cleared of all charges. If that was true then young Arthurs decision to take the night air was to prove fatal. Join Facebook to connect with Rita Thompson and others you may know. The first bullet grazed his cheek, the second smashed into his ribs, a lung, the third, tore through his gut and pierced his heart. The 64-year-old woman was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital following the crash on Elmbank Street last month. Fairbairn was a ferocious right-winger who had married into the Scottish aristocracy, later became Solicitor-General appointed by Margaret Thatcher and died of cirrhosis of the liver. He gave evidence against the man accused of his sons murder, Paul Ferris, in 1992 at the High Court in Glasgow. Another local hard man, Paul Ferris, was charged with Fat Boy's murder, but cleared after Scotland's longest criminal trial. Anniversary. This 936 square foot home is the last known address for Rita. Norval's daughter, Rita Gunn, is charged with conspiring to damage the court but acquitted. HP10 9TY. She revealed her dying wish when she was told she was losing her battle with throat cancer, according to a former henchman of her late husband. In 1969 Thompson's wife, Rita, forced her way into the Welsh home, stabbed Patrick Welsh's wife in the chest, and was jailed for three years. However, Rita never sang a note. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's In August 1991, Arthur Jnr, 31, was shot dead outside the Thompson family home while on weekend leave from prison. THE widow of Arthur Thompson, the former Glasgow godfather, has died. In the early 1960s, Thompson became close allies of notorious London gangsters The Kray twins, Ronnie and Reggie so much so, they are reputed to have come up to Glasgow to seek his advice on a plan to take over The Beatles from their manager Brian Epstein. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes. According to legend, he introduced himself to the Kray brothers by bursting into a club they frequented with a gun and shouting: Im Arthur Thompson, from Glasgow, remember my name. Whether the story is true or not, he worked as an enforcer for the brothers. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . Richard Thompson, live Glasgow Scotland October 1999, recorded by me from Digital broadcast. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to [9] He was acquitted of all charges. Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. On April 16, she posted a pic of the director holding her in a matching Gucci sweater, while . Old Arthur was less feared than before and apparently had a fondness for booze. Thompson signed into a private clinic in the West End of Glasgow and told police the injury was caused by a broken drill bit. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. As a result the takeover never took place. Arthur Thompson was one of 300 people called to give evidence. His daughter Rita, who had married one of the Blue Angels bikers (like Hell's Angels, only dirtier! Even when his own son was murdered outside his front door, he ordered his family not to give them statements or tell what they had seen. THE widow of Arthur Thompson, the former Glasgow godfather, has died. 'No one is going to say anything about him or the rest of the family.'. We are lucky at The Herald. Lanarkshire mum loses scan picture of dead babies after 'heartless' council evict her. Kenyans who live in the slums carrying the body of a suspected Mungiki member. The grim find was made by the pubs manager who was passing at the time on his way to open up. There were 6,656 official murders in the nation in 2015 and in 2016; there was a homicide every hour in the first few months of the year. Like any other inmate, he regularly applied for parole and the previously secret documents reflected the view of the authorities had of him at the time. He was buried in the family plot at Riddrie Cemetery beside Arthur Jnr and daughter, Margaret, who suffered a drugs overdose in 1989. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. Pensioner dies at Glasgow hospital a month after fatal city centre crash. Another measure of his influence came after his son Arthur Thompson Jr was jailed for 11 years in 1985 for drug dealing. The gangster was always the same dealing with the police. In 1970 the then governor of Craiginches prison in Aberdeen describe Thompson as a thug of the worst kind who along with another inmate was running warring factions inside and outside of prison. Other papers record Thompson trying to stir up a hunger strike and pressing inmates to petition for better privileges and visiting rights. For more than 30 years until his death in 1993 Thompson ruled Glasgows criminal underworld with an iron fist through his interests in extortion, money lending, illegal casinos, robbery, and drugs. In the photos, the three can be seen relaxing and having drinks on a balcony in Sydney after "an all-night party," the Daily Mail reported. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can Are you sure you want to delete this comment? How Rita Ora and Dua Lipa have mirrored each other over . He would have given his last penny to anybody, and he often did., Trouble was it was someone else's money. Editors' Code of Practice. The gunman, an IRA hitman, had been hired by a rival to kill him. So the person in charge would have to have been something very special, and Arthur was certainly that.. Rita Thompson, 72, who had throat cancer, died on Tuesday. [8][7], Thompson's daughter, Margaret, died from a drug overdose in 1989. After several escapes from camp he was sentenced to 18 months hard labour for slashing another soldier with shards of glass. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Terms of use | If you're in need of a Friday funny, this typo blunder spotted at TJ Hughes in Glasgow could be just the thing to cheer you up. Arthur Thompson, Rita Thompson.Circa, Glasgow. He is known to have blown up a bar and social club after one owner refused to comply. With 50 years experience providing images from the most prestigious museums, collections and artists. A Gannett Company. They just pay someone a couple of grand to go and hurt people for them.. The continent of Africa is plagued by an infestation of machete wielding gangs, and the Mungiki originated in much the same way as most of these outfits. Bear in mind that the population of El Salvador is approximately 6.12 million. We found 1021 people named Rita S Thompson. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . Glasgow comedian pokes fun at 'West End Mums' in hilarious Pet Shop Boys parody, Hilarious TikToker Zara has created a fantastic parody of Pet Shop Boys 80s classic 'West End Girls' taking aim at mums living in the west end of the city 'because being south's an anxiety trigger. She was a graduate of the Fort Fairfield High School, class of 1963, and had been employed as a C.N.A . Lanterns lit after tragic death of Lanarkshire girl, 5, seen from plane by her grief-stricken family. Rita Ora's Best Looks. He was born in 1928 in Possil, three years before Old Arthur Thompson, a Godfather contemporary, but one whose criminal path diverged into drugs, whereas Norval preferred to do it the old fashioned way, with a mask and a gun in an armed robbery, never mind the occasional stabbing. Copyright 2023 Farlex, Inc. | He saw little of his father and mother a mixed marriage in the Glasgow sense, father a Catholic, mother a Protestant romping around the area, avoiding school and police, whatever criminal mischief was afoot Wattie was at the heart of it. Disclaimer: Reference to these media outlets or TV shows should not be construed to imply an endorsement or sponsorship of Spokeo or its products. He was killed by a single shot from a high-powered .22 rifle. Arthur Thompson (September 1931 13 March 1993) was a Scottish gangster who was active in Glasgow from the 1950s and took charge of organised crime in the city for over thirty years. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. He has since been jailed for involvement in a firearms conspiracy. Although Thompson wasnt a tall man, he was powerfully built with a chilling stare that could terrify both friend and foe alike. Rita M. Glasgow. ANNENBERG--Leonore. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. Further violence involving the Mungiki took place after the disputed Kenyan General Election in December 2007. Teacher strikes suspended as union backs new Scottish Government pay offer. The Godfather was reportedly able to use his prison contacts to have steaks, alcohol and chocolate delivered to him each day in his cell. According to underworld sources, Billy Thompson, who has served a number of prison sentences and has a heroin habit, wanted to regain the former prominence of the Thompson name, despite the fact that he has not inherited any of his father's business acumen. They had each been shot in the back of the head, with an extra bullet fired up their anuses for good measure. Arthur survived, but his mother-in-law was killed. In his day, he said, "gangsters were hard men. Glasgow priest found guilty of abusing four young girls walks free from court. Legend has it that the crime boss later viewed the bodies and shot both men in the chest with another gun. In the 1960s, his wife Rita was employed as a singer, with one pub paying a fee of 200 for each performance - the equivalent of 4000 in today's money. By the Eighties, the Thompson clan had moved into. Beatings and slashings were routinely inflicted on anyone who failed to pay up. Souhila and her husband were almost ready to open Adam Supermarket before the Napiershall Lane business was hit with a devastating inferno on Wednesday night. Although Thompson wasnt a tall man, he was powerfully built with a chilling stare that could terrify both friend and foe alike. The recent stabbing of a gangland godfather's son has reignited the battle for control of a 300m drugs market. Download Glasgow gangster Arthur Thompson with his wife Rita Thompson, c.1970 (b/w photo) from Bridgeman Images archive a library of millions of art, He started young around the Garscube Road. He might have observed the criminal code but never the marital one. Around 10pm, on August 17, Arthur left his parents house to walk the short distance to his own home where he lived with his wife and young daughter. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to Rita's husband, William Gunn, the biker, isn't so lucky, getting five years in jail for threatening to kill one of the leading witnesses. Privacy policy | He was caught and, as criminals did at the time, called for the legendary lawyer Joe Beltrami, who hired advocate Nicky Fairbairn to defend him. Fraser, now dead, once recalled: Down south, we viewed Glasgow as the Wild West. If located in the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Eire, kindly contact Mirrorpix directly at desk@mirrorpix.com. Mirrorpix / GIW Photos. As a consequence, many of the young men that arrived gravitated towards violence. He recognised them immediately as they and Ferris were regulars. Dumbarton police stop 'dangerous' vehicle on A82 as driver fails cannabis test. His closing years were plagued by two bouts of cancer, first of the bowel and then the lung. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Thompson himself had been known for punishing enemies or bad debtors by nailing their hands and feet to the floor crucifixion-style. Rita Thompson - who left an estimated pounds 2million - told pals she wanted her will to pay for a gangland hit on former mobster Ferris, who was cleared of murdering her son Arthur jnr in 1992. Whoever did that was taking a big chance as Hanlon's Ford Orion was well known to the police and was regularly stopped. Results for this person or the person you are looking for are not guaranteed to appear in search results. Within a few weeks Ferris had been arrested, but Hanlon, 23, and Glover, 31, remained free. Additionally, Ora has shared photos with both Waititi and Thompson. On the eve of it the north court of the High Court in Glasgow is set on fire by Norval's mob in attempt to burn all the files on the case they believe are held in the vaults. Thompson is survived by Tracey Thompson, his last remaining child. Isgho Votre ducation notre priorit . [8] Billy died on 4 March 2017 as a result of his drug addiction. In later life he even adopted some of the late US mobster's sartorial taste in pinstripes. Rita, stabbed the wife of Patrick Welsh in the chest. Fort Fairfield - Rita Jean Thompson, 78, wife of the late Berkley A. Thompson, passed away Thursday evening, February 9, 2023, at Madigan Estates, Houlton, following an extended illness. The young Detective Constable got out his own car and ran to a nearby petrol station to phone the emergency services, where he also found Thompson who then sped off. Had they lived both Hanlon and Glover would likely have stood trial alongside Ferris as alleged accomplices in Arthur Thompson Jnrs murder. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please The newest bar in Glasgow's west end is run by the same people behind popular city centre bar Tingle on Mitchell Street. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. A month later Norval sought Gibson out in a pub and stabbed him eight times before going on the run. However, despite the murder of his son, the Godfather wasn't quite finished yet. Thompson lived with his family in Provanmill Road in Provanmill, Glasgow, in a garishly converted council house nicknamed The Ponderosa, after the 1960s cowboy TV series Bonanza. *** Local Caption *** Scottish gangs This photo license is intended for editorial use only. By the 1980s, Glasgow was in the midst of a heroin epidemic as the drug flooded into the city in a market worth up to 30 million. His father and younger brother Billy alerted by the shots found him dying on the pavement. AROUND a hundred mourners yesterday attended the funeral of gangster's wife Rita Thompson. He had been responsible for negotiating between dealers in the North and the rest of England. They can be seen laughing and seemingly kissing each other. His rivals tried and failed to eliminate him in 1966 when a bomb exploded under his car. Thompson later gave a personal undertaking to the police that he would not harm the two officers. The eyewitnesses who did not speak up at the trial were not bad people, they were just terrified of Thompson and what he might do to them.. Comments have been closed on this article. Single Use in context. Brian Lundie, 41, is missing from the Baillieston area of Glasgow with officers issuing an urgent reappeal to find him, saying his disappearance is "very much out of character". In time-honoured tradition, Thompson failed to speak out against the brothers and they were cleared of all charges. In August 1991, Arthur Jr, 31, was shot dead outside the family home while on weekend leave from prison. Ironically Ferris was a former friend and ally of the Thompson family, said to be closer to the father than even his own son. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The Ponderosa was also rumoured to be fitted out with secret passages, hiding spots, and its own underground tunnel. The violence was on a much, much higher level. It was clear to everyone in the citys underworld what type of message was being sent out with the double murder. The police breakthrough came, inevitably, from an informant and many of the gang were found in Norval's Maryhill airt and in the south side under the noses of the authorities, just yards from the Orkney Street police office. In dramatic scenes, Thompson and the Welshes both stood trial at the same time at the High Court in Glasgow. When fellow gang member Ronnie Biggs was asked shortly before his death in 2013 if Arthur was involved in the robbery, Biggs replied cryptically: I might be dying but Im not a grass.. Kathy Friend, 60, lost her battle with secondary liver and bone cancer on February 19 but she is remembered for touching the lives of many with her amazing community projects. He was a very violent, ruthless, clever criminal and a real nasty piece of work. One police file said: The overall picture of Thompson is that of a violent, vicious and active criminal who will stop at nothing to uphold his position in the underworld as a hard man and to gain his own ends". The gang is sometimes referred to as the Kenyan version of the Yakuza, Mafia or Cosa Nostra due to its organization. It's not known what Thompson's views were when Ferris was cleared of murdering his son.