Viv Graham

Vivian "Viv" Graham (1959 - 31 December 1993) was an English mobster and former amateur heavyweight boxer.

Graham spent his formative years in Rowlands Gill, a village on the outskirts of the Tyneside conurbation. After quitting boxing, Graham became a bouncer, and with his irrefutable abilities, ended up operating an empire of doormen, and 'protecting' various licensed premises in central Newcastle, the city’s East End, and the Wallsend area. Graham became a reputed organised crime figure in the city, and was involved in extortion and racketeering, although his services were also known to have been in great demand. These activities brought Graham a very large income, although a lot of his wealth was lost to his penchant for gambling.

A well known 'hardman' with an intimidating presence, Graham earned a huge reputation for violence, particularly after an incident in which a rival doorman, (Stuart Watson), was severely assaulted by Graham, (at the behest of a notorious 'West End' gang), at Hobo's nightclub in Newcastle. The fight was later revealed to have been recorded on CCTV, and Graham can be seen delivering multiple debilitating punches to Watson, and throwing the 28 year old, 17 stone doorman around the reception area of the nightclub, as if he were a 'rag doll'. This incident resulted in Graham's conviction and a three year prison sentence, in spite of the victim refusing to give evidence against him.^[1]

After his release, he broke all ties with his former associates, and a prolonged, bitter dispute ensued. Later he was back in court receiving a suspended sentence for an assault in which Graham is said to have 'punched a man senseless', and he survived several attempts on his life during this period. However, on New Year's Eve 1993, he was ambushed whilst returning to his car from The Anchor Public House on Wallsend High Street: the windows of his car, a Ford Sierra Cosworth bearing the registration "H35 HLE", had been broken so as to make Graham hesitate before entering the vehicle.^[2] He was shot three times by an unidentified gunman, and died four hours later in hospital. Viv Graham had often prophetically anticipated that he, "wouldn't see 40". He had curtailed the activities of several narcotics based gangs by refusing them access to the pubs and clubs that employed him, and he was known to never carry a firearm.

In 1998 Northumbria Police questioned five men about an alleged conspiracy to murder the bouncer.

Despite an informant naming the killer and confessing to his role as a 'getaway' driver, no-one has ever been brought to justice, and as of 2014, the murder remains unsolved.

in 2010, Graham's son Dean was found dead in his car on the Whinfield Industrial Estate, near his home in Rowlands Gill.^[3] Another son, Viv Jnr was attacked by thugs in 2012 and left with a fractured skull.^[4]

References

External links

• The Northern Echo: Five quizzed over killing