It was clear to everyone in the citys underworld what type of message was being sent out with the double murder. It is always difficult saying goodbye to someone we love and cherish. The recent stabbing of a gangland godfather's son has reignited the battle for control of a 300m drugs market. Arthur Snr suspected both men of being involved in his sons murder and is said to have paid a hitman 20,000 to execute them. [4], On 18 August 1991 Thompson's son Arthur Jr (nicknamed "Fatboy") died after being shot three times[7] outside the family home,[8] "The Ponderosa". Uncover details about birth, marriage, and divorce. 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. The gang boss was out for blood, and he suspected two members of the rival Welsh gang, Patrick Welsh, and James Goldie, of the attack. READ MORE:The Glasgow crime story of the mysterious murder of wealthy Marion Gilchrist in 1908. *** Local Caption *** Scottish gangs This photo license is intended for editorial use only. Death of another youth triggers protests in Kashmir. Supports are provided on site 24/7 including case workers from JHS and medical services provided by Ottawa Inner City Health (OICH) - a non-profit organization that provides health care to homeless and street involved people. Jurors also come under attack and are provided with police bodyguards for the duration. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. Something went wrong, please try again later. Arthur also enjoyed hobnobbing with celebrities. Prison chiefs were also under no illusions about the kind of man they were dealing with. Search the Bridgeman archive by uploading an image. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. The world's leading specialists in the distribution of art, cultural and historical images and footage for reproduction. The London Euston to Glasgow train was forced to come to an emergency stop; . Arthur was also involved in legitimate enterprises such as pubs, demolition, corner shops, garages, and carpet showrooms to keep his assets hidden. Fraser, now dead, once recalled: Down south, we viewed Glasgow as the Wild West. Two years later Fat Boy was gunned down outside The Ponderosa just six hours after coming home from prison on weekend leave. We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Three years later, Ferris was accused of the murder of the Fatboy who was shot three times outside of his home. A funeral mass will be held at 11 AM, on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at St. Michaels Catholic Church, Galena where friends may gather after 10:30 AM until the time of mass. By the Eighties, the Thompson clan had moved into the drug trade led by the Thompsons' eldest son, Arthur Jnr, known as Fat Boy, who operated out of Blackpool. McPherson wrote: It was straight out of a Guy Ritchie movie and was full of cockney hardmen. While Arthur liked to make money and stay out of the limelight, Fatboy loved being known as a major player in Glasgow and reveled in showing off his wealth. Anniversary. Arthurs son Billy became a heroin addict, and his daughter Margaret died from a heroin overdose. We found 1021 people named Rita S Thompson. As we release the first episode of our Glasgow Crime Stories podcast, read the extended version of telling the story of infamous crime godfather Arthur Thompson and the murder of his son. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. 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. Three months later, Thompson narrowly escaped death when he was in a car that exploded outside his house. At one time, he had at least 20 pubs in Glasgow paying him 4000 each week. 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. 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. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can He was killed by a single shot from a high-powered .22 rifle. When he came out his era had passed. In 1989, Arthur's daughter, Margaret, died of a drugs overdose. While America is often deemed to have a high homicide rate compared to other Western nations, it pales in comparison to El Salvador where the murder rate is 22 times higher. 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. A sniper waited for him after he had been chased through Glasgow by another hitman. 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. He was seen as the rising star of the Glasgow underworld and a man who could take over from Arthur Snr. Another measure of his influence came after his son Arthur Thompson Jr was jailed for 11 years in 1985 for drug dealing. On the day of Fatboys funeral, the bodies of two of Ferris associates were found in a car. The gunman, an IRA hitman, had been hired by a rival to kill him. We found 2 records matching "Rita Thompson" in KY. * Historical, vital, and court records and search results may require an additional purchase. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? No one man had dominated organised crime in the city quite like Arthur Thompson and no one man ever would. Spokeo's database, while extensive, does not contain all U.S. warrant, arrest, court, or other related records. Norval's daughter, Rita Gunn, is charged with conspiring to damage the court but acquitted. Billy Thompson has now been taken off the critical list and looks set to make a full recovery. Rita's husband, William Gunn, the biker, isn't so lucky, getting five years in jail for threatening. View Rita Thompson results in Georgia (GA) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Isgho Votre ducation notre priorit . For all advertising and other non-editorial uses contact the GIW office for further information. He hobbled into the Sheriff Court to plead guilty to having 15 of cannabis which he claimed he used to alleviate arthritis. heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment. [7], A former enforcer for the Thompson family, Paul Ferris, was arrested, charged with the murder[9] and remanded to HM Prison Barlinnie. Police have confirmed that the body of Matthew Cosgrove was discovered in the Lesmahagow area on Friday afternoon. He was friendly with another legendary London gangster too Mad Frankie Fraser. 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. Perhaps a more fitting coda from the band might have been, I fought the law and the law won. . At 1.30pm, five cars left her home in Provanmill Road in Glasgow's East End bound for nearby Riddrie Park Cemetery. Its rumoured Thompson was present when Ronnie infamously shot George Cornell of the rival Richardson gang in Londons Blind Beggar pub in 1966. New Glasgow west end venue The Wendy Bar opens its doors on Byres Road. [8][7], Thompson's daughter, Margaret, died from a drug overdose in 1989. Rita Thompson, who had throat cancer, died in 2006 at the age of 72. One of his main sources of income over the years was providing protection to pubs in the city. The authority's suspicions of Thompson were not unjustified. Arthur also enjoyed hobnobbing with celebrities. She received three years in prison for the attack. One police file said: The overall picture of Thompson is that of aviolent, 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.. A funeral mass will be held at 11 AM, on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at St. Michaels Catholic Church, Galena where friends may gather after 10:30 AM until the time of mass. Arthur survived, but his mother-in-law was killed. Three shots at close range from a .22 pistol hit young Arthur. 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.. The following year, the Mungiki fought against Kenyan police and two officers died. 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.. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. Editors' Code of Practice. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. [8] Billy died on 4 March 2017 as a result of his drug addiction. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. It was rumoured to be fitted out with secret passages, hiding spots, and its own underground tunnel. There are 200+ professionals named "Rita Thompson", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. In time-honoured tradition, Thompson failed to speak out against the brothers and they were cleared of all charges. His own death almost 30 years ago marked the end of an astonishing era in the history of the city's underworld. View Anniversary. His death was to prove the beginning of the end for the Thompson family fiefdom. 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. [9] He was acquitted of all charges. 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. The young cop rose through the ranks to become head of the Strathclyde Police Serious Crime Squad and retired at the rank of Detective Superintendent in 1992. ', Tell-tale sign a coin is rare as expert urges Glaswegians to check change. His closing years were plagued by two bouts of cancer, first of the bowel and then the lung. Thompson later gave a personal undertaking to the police that he would not harm the two officers. contact the editor here. Results for this person or the person you are looking for are not guaranteed to appear in search results. On one occasion, the then BBC broadcaster accompanied Thompson to an underworld pub in London. Scores of large ones involving hundreds of foot soldiers, secret weapons arsenals and explosives in safe houses across Glasgow, and over three years in the mid-70s they mob carried out dozens of armed robberies, usually of payrolls, often from hospitals and major works, but also from post offices across the country. At an identification parade, he refused to identify the IRA suspect. Thompson would also carry out hits for the Krays in London and they would do the same in return in Glasgow. Rita Thompson is a Nursing Development Professional & Perioperative Specialist at Stanford Health Care based in Palo Alto, California. All rights reserved. Richard Thompson, live Glasgow Scotland October 1999, recorded by me from Digital broadcast. THE widow of Arthur Thompson, the former Glasgow godfather, has died. 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. Many of the immigrants that arrived in the United States during the 1980s were used to violence as El Salvador is one of the worlds most dangerous places to live. It was at this point he even joked about speaking with cotton wool in his mouth. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/MOB+WIFE+FUNERAL.-a0146927061. Copyright 2023 Farlex, Inc. | His team, the Barlanark Gang, initially continued paying him a cut, but the two sides quickly fell out as the Gang found new paymasters. He is a consummate villain. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. [5] In 1969, Thompson's wife Rita forced her way into the Welsh home and stabbed Patrick Welsh's widow in the chest; she was jailed for three years. Their desire is to ensure their nation reverts to indigenous African traditions. As money rolled in, they converted their council home into a palace, buying the property next door and knocking the two together. The gang is sometimes referred to as the Kenyan version of the Yakuza, Mafia or Cosa Nostra due to its organization. However, Rita never sang a note. El pentatln o pentatln femenino es un evento combinado de atletismo en el que cada mujer compite en cinco eventos separados durante un da (anteriormente dos das). John and Elizabeth Brooks Published on18/06/2021. In August 1991, Arthur Jr, 31, was shot dead outside the family home while on weekend leave from prison. It may be one of the few occasions when the law had got the better of him. Thompson survived - just - and two men have since appeared in court in connection with the attack, which police are treating as attempted murder. It was common for Arthur to crucify his victims by nailing their hands and feet to furniture. The Thompson Gang was finished at this point, and Arthur died in his bed in 1993. They continue to terrorize Kenyans, and it has been suggested that they might be the worlds largest gang regarding membership. The term Mungiki means multitude or united people in the Kikuyu language. Glasgow crime stories: Arthur Thompson who ruled the city's underworld for more than 30 years. As a result the takeover never took place. His coffin was carried by members of a biker club, his six daughters and a granddaughter all wore matching red outfits and music from the Clash blared out as the retinue made its way into the crematorium. 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. Thompson is survived by Tracey Thompson, his last remaining child. Norval's daughter, Rita Gunn, is charged with conspiring to damage the court but acquitted. tyler hamilton montana,