In league with the devil: How Kincora monster denied his sins to the end in one of his last interviews
I parked in the forecourt of a neighbourhood shop with the intention of asking if anyone could direct me to McGrath's home.
I presented a few items for payment, casually asking the shopkeeper if she could point me in the direction of his house.
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Daily Record
5 days ago
- Daily Record
Scotland's Godfathers: How crime kingpin's evil empire was shattered by hail of bullets and drugs
Arthur Thompson's evil empire has been told after it was shattered by a hail of bullets. Glasgow's reputation for violence has been maintained for more than a century despite attempts to clean up its image. At times rivalries have boiled over to such an extent that part of the city seemed akin to the Wild West. From the 1970s, Arthur Thompson Sr had reigned as the city's most feared crime boss. Known as the 'Godfather', he ruled through violence and intimidation to rake in £100,000-a-week as a loan shark, his protection rackets and the sale of drugs. By the Nineties, however, his grip on the underworld withered as street vendettas gave way to high‑stakes heists and lucrative drug empires. A turning point came in August 1991, when his son Arthur Jr, aka Fatboy, was gunned down outside the family's Ponderosa estate, named after the ranch in the television series Bonanza. Suspicion fell on Thompson's former enforcer Paul Ferris, who was arrested and prosecuted in a £4.1 million trial that became the longest and most expensive in Scottish legal history. Over 300 witnesses were called before Ferris was acquitted. Then, in March 1993, Thompson Sr died of a heart attack. It marked the dawn of a new era and new faces as criminals vied for a place in the upper echelons of the city's underworld hierarchy. Ian 'Blink' McDonald and the notorious Mick Healy were among the most fearsome. McDonald had built a reputation in the late 1980s for fighting and stabbing rivals in Glasgow's schemes. In 1991, he and Healy had led an audacious £6million NatWest bank heist in Torquay. After hiding in the bank for two days, the six bank robbers wielded shotguns as they ambushed the 16 staff members starting their shift. A female worker survived being shot in the head before the gang, unable to get the keys to the vault, fled empty-handed. Healy, described as the 'UK's most dangerous man', was jailed for 19 years. MacDonald got 16 years. Ferris was eventually imprisoned after his arrest in London in 1997 following a two-year surveillance operation by MI5 and Special Branch. At his trial at the Old Bailey in July 1998 he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after being convicted of conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons, conspiracy to deal in firearms and possessing explosives, although the sentence was reduced to seven years. The consolidation of lucrative drug operations also involved the likes of Ian Douglas McAteer, a prominent Glasgow gangster with ties to Liverpool's drugs trade. McAteer went on to become one of the suspects in the 1999 murder of television presenter Jill Dando. That same year, he murdered a gangland associate Warren Selkirk, for which he was sentenced to life in prison. He remains behind bars. As Glasgow gangsters competed for the drugs trade, Edinburgh also faced a crimewave as cocaine and ecstasy flooded into the capital. Among the seediest of the city's criminals was the 'Blackhill Butcher', Martin Hamilton. Born in Glasgow's Maryhill and a gay predator, Hamilton would routinely rape young men to satisfy his perverted sexual appetites. He also abused and tortured his victims in a bid to take over the Edinburgh's drugs trade. Teenage dealers were supplied with heroin and ecstasy but faced horrific retribution if they failed to deliver cash. Cases against Hamilton in Glasgow had previously collapsed due to witnesses being afraid to testify. But his downfall came when a teenage couple bravely stood up to him in court. A girlfriend and boyfriend had been held captive for 11 hours in a flat in Glasgow, during which they were scalded with boiling water and stabbed, all the while being forced to stand in a bath so they would not drip blood on to carpets. Their willingness to testify allowed detectives to revisit Hamilton's victims in Edinburgh and some agreed to provide statements. A senior officer described him as 'one of the most evil men I have ever come across in my service'. In 2000, Hamilton was found guilty of 11 out of 14 charges involving the sale of drugs, abduction, assault and torture. On release from prison, he returned to his criminal ways but went missing in April 2015. The body of the brutal sadist was found in a shallow grave in woodland near West Calder, West Lothian. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Daily Mail
10-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Rolex founder 'was a suspected Nazi spy'
Secret service agents believed the German founder of Rolex was a Nazi spy, formerly classified documents at the National Archives reveal. MI5 feared Hans Wilsdorf should be blacklisted due to his 'strong' sympathies for Adolf Hitler's regime, The Telegraph reports. The Second World War papers, dated between 1941 and 1943, state that Wilsdorf was 'most objectionable' and 'suspected of espionage'. Despite his status as a naturalised British citizen, the papers suggest that MI5 viewed Wilsdorf as a potential threat to Allied interests during World War II. British authorities first became concerned that Wilsdorf supported the Nazis in 1941. A report that year from the British consul in Geneva said he was 'well known for his strong Nazi sympathies'. And, a 1941 letter from the Blacklist Section of the Ministry of Economic Warfare stated it was desirable to review blacklisting Wilsdorf, but noted it may not be in the best interests at the moment. Wilsdorf's blacklisting may have hurt Rolex and a large amount of overseas trade with the Empire countries, the papers revealed. A later report from 1943 stated: 'Wilsdorf and his wife are majority shareholders, and he is suspected of espionage on behalf of the enemy.' The documents also suggest that Wilsdorf's offer of free Rolex watches to British prisoners of war (POWs) may have been motivated by publicity rather than patriotism. 'The fact Rolex offered watches to Allied POWs in German camps suggested Wilsdorf was on the right side of history,' Jose Perez, a horological historian who discovered the existence of the MI5 file told the publication. 'But, I believe it was a stunt to gain favour with the British government,' he told the publication. Responding to the allegations, Rolex said it was well aware of the file in the National Archives and had constituted a team of historians for further research. Wilsdorf was born in Bavaria in 1881 but his parents died shortly afterwards. He moved to England in 1903 and started making watches in Hatton Garden before registering the name Rolex and marrying British-born Florence Crotty. In 1919, he based the company headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Wilsdorf died in 1960, leaving his ownership stake in Rolex to the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, which continues to own the company and supports charitable causes.
Telegraph
09-08-2025
- Telegraph
Rolex founder was suspected Nazi spy
MI5 suspected that the German founder of Rolex was a Nazi spy, the Telegraph can reveal. Formerly classified documents at the National Archives show how secret service agents feared Hans Wilsdorf should be blacklisted due to his 'strong' sympathies for Adolf Hitler's regime. The Second World War papers, dated between 1941 and 1943, state that Wilsdorf was 'most objectionable' and 'suspected of espionage'. The file also suggested the businessman may have made much of his decision to offer British prisoners of war (POWs) free Rolex watches despite his real intentions being anything but patriotic. The papers – many stamped from 'Box 500', the colloquial civil service nickname for MI5 due to its wartime address – show the increasing concern that Wilsdorf, a naturalised British citizen, posed a threat to the Allies. Wilsdorf was born in Bavaria in 1881 and moved to London in 1903, where he made watches in Hatton Garden before registering the name Rolex and marrying British-born Florence Crotty. In 1919, he based the company headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. By 1941, the British authorities were concerned Wilsdorf supported the Nazis. A report that year from the British consul in Geneva said he was 'well known for his strong Nazi sympathies' citing how his brother, Karl, was 'reported to be an active member of [Joseph] Goebbels' propaganda ministry'. The file claimed the brother would 'make use of Hans Wilsdorf in Geneva to put out Nazi propaganda all over the world, and we heard that Hans is, in consequence, being watched by the Swiss federal police'. An MI5 report from 1943 said the secret service had been 'interested in the affairs' of Rolex, from its UK base in Bexleyheath, and its founder 'for some time'. 'Wilsdorf and his wife are majority shareholders, and he is suspected of espionage on behalf of the enemy,' it added. The papers repeatedly said Wilsdorf was 'well known' as a 'strong Nazi'. One 1941 letter from the Blacklist Section of the Ministry of Economic Warfare said it was 'desirable' to 'review' blacklisting Wilsdorf, but noted it 'may not be entirely in our interests at the moment' because his company 'would undoubtedly have to share his fate [and] a large amount of its overseas trade seems to be with the Empire countries'. It added that intelligence had been 'unable to detect any undesirable activities on the part of the Swiss firm'. It even said how Wilsdorf's 'indebtedness to German bankers may result in a considerable enemy interest in both the Swiss and the British [Rolex] companies'. A 1943 message from MI5 concluded that blacklisting Wilsdorf should not go ahead, despite him being 'most objectionable'. The British consul report insists there was 'no doubt whatever' about Wilsdorf's 'political opinions' and questioned his motives for sending watches – as well as 'food parcels and tobacco' – to British POWs. In 1940, Cpl Clive Nutting, a POW in the notorious Stalag Luft III in Poland, contacted Wilsdorf requesting new watches after German officers confiscated servicemens' Rolexes when captured. Wilsdorf sent the corporal Rolexes insisting he should 'not even think' about paying for them until after the war. 'Stunt to gain favour' But, despite the move proving a public relations coup for Rolex, the consul report in the files was sceptical of his motives. 'It is interesting to note that, according to a letter from Mr Hans Wilsdorf... he has been acting for many months as an intermediary between 25 British officers, prisoners of war in Germany, and their friends at home... 'Of course, these activities may have been due to an impulse of generosity on the part of Mr Wilsdorf, but, if our other information about him is true, this hardly seems likely.' Jose Perez, a horological historian, discovered the existence of the MI5 file and contacted The Telegraph, which then retrieved it. He said the documents add to mounting evidence Wilsdorf was a Nazi sympathiser. 'The fact Rolex offered watches to Allied POWs in German camps suggested Wilsdorf was on the right side of history,' he added. 'But, I believe it was a stunt to gain favour with the British government. It must also be considered that from 1941 to 1946, the import of Swiss watches to the UK was basically prohibited, so this might have been the proverbial killing of two birds with one stone: gain favour with the British and sell some watches in the process, even though payment was only due after the war.' A spokesman for Rolex said the company was 'well aware' of the file in the National Archives. 'Given the sensitivity of these allegations, we have already commissioned an independent, authoritative team of historians who are carrying out research into the exact role of Hans Wilsdorf during this period,' she said. 'This research has been entrusted to Dr Marc Perrenoud, a Swiss historian renowned for his work on contemporary history, especially regarding Switzerland during the Second World War. 'For this assignment, Dr Perrenoud has assembled a scientific committee comprising distinguished historians from the various countries concerned. 'In the interest of transparency, we will publish Dr Perrenoud's findings once he has completed his work.'
