Police have run up against a wall of silence, but believe the murder is linked to drugs. He even threatened to bomb the homes of two off-duty police officers after they saw him kill two men in Royston Road, Glasgow, in May that year. There was a massive turnout for young Arthurs funeral that afternoon with key members of the citys underworld there to pay their respects to both the victim and more importantly his father. Veteran crime reporter Ron McKay tells the story of Walter Norval, the former boss of Glasgow's infamous XYY Gang. Glasgow gangster Arthur Thompson with his wife Rita Thompson, c.1970 (b Commuters will have the chance to grab some pre-loved fashion bargains later this month, with the money raised helping Shelter Scotland amidst the housing emergency. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment. His death was to prove the beginning of the end for the Thompson family fiefdom. He had been responsible for negotiating between dealers in the North and the rest of England. 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. It was just a way for the terrified owner to pay protection to Thompson. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's [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. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. With 50 years experience providing images from the most prestigious museums, collections and artists. Norval went down for 14 years. His other son, Billy died in 2017 as a result of his drug addiction. Norval's daughter, Rita Gunn, is charged with conspiring to damage the court but acquitted. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's View property details and household demographic information related to income, investments, and interests. Arthur was an enforcer in Scotland for the Krays during the late Fifties, and by the mid-Sixties had established a chain of pubs and dance halls, popular haunts for gangsters. On both occasions, he told police that he feared for his life. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. At the time his parents lived in Provanmill Road, Blackhill, in a garishly converted former council house nicknamed The Ponderosa, after the 1960s cowboy TV series Bonanza. Rita Thompson is on Facebook. Veterinary hospital McDonald Vets, in Scotstoun in the west of Glasgow, has resumed a full service after closing for several months following the blaze in August 2022. HE was Glasgows equivalent of Don Corleone, the fictional New York crime godfather immortalised in his portrayal by Marlon Brando. Both men were bitter rivals of Thompson. His criminal career, however, was not quite over and his last brush with it, ironically, involved drugs. 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. Rita Thompson - Nursing Develop.. - Stanford Health Care | ZoomInfo Three shots at close range from a .22 pistol hit young Arthur. In his 2009 autobiography, legendary Scottish football commentator Archie Macpherson revealed he was paid up to 500 a time in the early 1980s to host events organised by Thompson. He was friendly with another legendary London gangster too Mad Frankie Fraser. The documents cover the period from 1967 to 1969, when Thompson was in his late 30s and paint a picture of the criminal kingpin as a devious man used to getting his own way. In his day, he said, "gangsters were hard men. The recent stabbing of a gangland godfather's son has reignited the battle for control of a 300m drugs market. His team, the Barlanark Gang, initially continued paying him a cut, but the two sides quickly fell out as the Gang found new paymasters. Copyright 2018 Global Image Works, LLC. All planned teacher strikes have been suspended after a new pay offer was presented by the Scottish Government. It's now, as leader of what becomes known as the XYY Gang, that Norval becomes notorious. Editors' Code of Practice. Arthur Thompson's son Billy dies - marking the end of an era for the The Peddie School community mourns the death of Leonore Annenberg, wife of our esteemed alumnus, the late Walter Annenberg '27. [9] He was acquitted of all charges. Ferris, then 28, was found not guilty in June 1992 at the High Court in Glasgow after the longest-running murder trial in Scottish legal history. Norval's daughter, Rita Gunn, is charged with conspiring to damage the court but acquitted. Rita, stabbed the wife of Patrick Welsh in the chest. It later transpired that they would have been better off inside prison. The car was deliberately placed on the funeral route. HP10 9TY. mg.co.za. Thompson survived - just - and two men have since appeared in court in connection with the attack, which police are treating as attempted murder. rita thompson glasgow It's not known what Thompson's views were when Ferris was cleared of murdering his son. View Anniversary. Body of missing man Matthew Cosgrove discovered by police in Lanarkshire. In 1985, he was arrested and charged with supplying heroin in what was probably a set-up; an 11-year prison sentence was the result. Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. *** Local Caption *** Scottish gangs. Rangers vs Kilmarnock starting team news as Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin in but no Malik Tillman. However, Thompson said the pairs reputation would damage the bands career. Fraser, now dead, once recalled: Down south, we viewed Glasgow as the Wild West. Tony Thompson reports, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. His closing years were plagued by two bouts of cancer, first of the bowel and then the lung. He was buried in the family plot at Riddrie Cemetery beside Arthur Jnr and daughter, Margaret, who suffered a drugs overdose in 1989. Glasgow's gangsters, Arthur Thompson - the Godfather, Glasgow bakery Mortons Rolls 'ceases all trading' in 'hammer blow' to city. Rita S Thompson, Glasgow, KY (42141) - Spokeo 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. [7] Paul Ferris was charged with Arthur Thompson Jr's murder and tried in 1992 but was found not guilty and released. However, despite the murder of his son, the Godfather wasn't quite finished yet. However, Ferris was found not guilty of all charges in June that year after the longest-running murder trial in Scottish legal history. It was at this point he even joked about speaking with cotton wool in his mouth. Other papers record Thompson trying to stir up a hunger strike and pressing inmates to petition for better privileges and visiting rights. By the Eighties, the Thompson clan had moved into. "There is a real danger of him putting the screw on some of the locals in Aberdeen.". At 1.30pm, five cars left her home in Provanmill Road in Glasgow's East End bound for nearby Riddrie Park Cemetery. Lanarkshire mum loses scan picture of dead babies after 'heartless' council evict her. 200+ "Rita Thompson" profiles | LinkedIn Brothers Martin, George and Henry Welsh, 24, were charged with murdering Margaret and attempting to kill Arthur in the revenge attack. 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. contact the editor here. Rita M. Glasgow - Dubuque Today by the Dubuque Advertiser The 56-year-old had been reported missing on Sunday. One detective on the case said: 'He had been a dead man walking for years. Arthur's son Billy became a heroin . As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. 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. [6] Thompson was charged with murder but not prosecuted as the police could find no witnesses who would testify. 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. Fatboy was very different to his father. He gave evidence against the man accused of his sons murder, Paul Ferris, in 1992 at the High Court in Glasgow. In May, veteran gangland boss Frank McPhee was shot through the head on his doorstep, as his 11-year-old son looked on in terror. For Norval the past was not just a different country but one with a language and culture he did not understand. 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. Although he was aging, Old Arthur was still seen as a threat, so his enemies wanted to remove him from the picture permanently. Nothing befitted his life like the leaving of it. Population Served Men who have experienced chronic homelessness He was seen as the rising star of the Glasgow underworld and a man who could take over from Arthur Snr. It was also rumoured that Thompson was involved in the 1963 Great Train robbery when 2.6 million (equivalent to around 30m now) was stolen from the Glasgow to London mail train. He died in his father's arms. The Thompson Gang was finished at this point, and Arthur died in his bed in 1993. Which was only partly true because he hurt many nobodies. See Rita S Thompson's age, phone number, house address, email address, social media accounts, public records, and check for criminal records on Spokeo. The myth has him dedicating himself to a life of crime after watching the movie Dillinger in a local fleapit. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? [11] Ferris claimed the younger Thompson had been shot by a hit man known only as "The Apprentice". 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. Widow of gangster Thompson dies | HeraldScotland Rita Thompson | Obituary | Bangor Daily News Obituaries & obituary notices in Glasgow. Jessie Kay Thompson - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages