Advertisement

Mourners Line Streets For 'Mr Big' Funeral

Mourners Line Streets For 'Mr Big' Funeral

Hundreds of people gathered for the funeral of a former gangland figure who was once dubbed "Mr Big".

Paul Massey was killed after being shot four times by a masked gunman outside his Salford home last month, police have said.

People in the city have expressed fears his murder could lead to a gang war on the streets.

And police have increased patrols in Salford following the shooting. No arrests have been made over the deadly attack.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police told Sky News that uniformed officers were not at the funeral.

But armed officers were on standby.

A pipe band led Mr Massey's funeral carriage, which was pulled by four white horses, with eight black limousines following.

Inside his carriage were two huge flower arrangements saying: "Grandad" and "Salford legend".

Mourners lined the streets to St Pauls Church and hundreds gathered at the entrance.

There was applause as his coffin was carried from the carriage into the church for the start of the service.

Many mourners wore blue jeans and white shirts as requested by the family of Mr Massey, who was said to have never worn a suit in his life.

His killer opened fire in July as father-of-five Mr Massey got out of his silver BMW car.

The 55-year-old managed to call emergency services from his driveway to say he had been shot, but he was pronounced dead at the scene in Clifton.

Mr Massey was a well-known figure linked to organised crime in Salford and involved in security firms which operated in Manchester.

He unsuccessfully stood for mayor in his home city in 2012.

He had a previous conviction for violence after being jailed for 14 years in 1999 for stabbing a man.

And it is claimed that during the 1990s he was under surveillance by a specialist branch of MI5 that was monitoring organised crime.

He was once branded "Salford's Mr Big" by the late councillor Joe Burrows at a council meeting that was discussing civil disturbances in 1992 - which he denied having anything to do with.