Paul Massey (7 January 1960 – 26 July 2015) was an English organised crime figure and Salford-based businessman. He was shot dead outside his home by Mark Fellows on 26 July 2015.[1]
Massey was born on 7 January 1960 in Ordsall, Salford, England.[2] He was one of six children of Rose Massey and John Massey.[3] When Massey was 12, he was arrested for criminal damage and sent to approved school.[4]
In the 1990s, Massey established several security companies.[2] Through these businesses, Damian Noonan, he and his gang were able to control the doors of several Manchester-area nightclubs.[4]
In 1999, Massey was sentenced to 14 years in prison for stabbing a man in the groin.[5]
In 2012, following his 2007 release from Frankland Prison, Massey announced he was running for mayor of Salford.[10] He finished seventh out of ten candidates.[4]
On 26 July 2015, Massey was shot dead outside his home on Manchester Road, Clifton, by a lone gunman. Mark Fellows, the killer, was reported to have been wearing military style fatigues and carried a weapon "similar to a sub machine gun".[11] Greater Manchester Police offered a £50,000 reward for information pertaining to the killing.[12]
Authorities in the Manchester area feared an escalation in gang violence related to Massey's death. Manchester police believe that the shooting of a 29-year-old woman and her seven-year-old son was linked to retribution for the Massey killing.[13] From January–December 2015, there were 19 shootings in Salford.[14]
On 1 June 2018, Fellows was charged with Massey's murder and also that of Massey's close friend, Liverpool gangster John Kinsella.[15][16] Fellows was subsequently convicted and sentenced to a whole life order.[17] Conspirators used PGP-equipped BlackBerry phones to co-ordinate the murder.[18]
Massey had five children and eight grandchildren at the time of his death.[19] Massey was given the nickname "Mr Big" by city councillor Joe Burrows during a meeting in 1992 held to address ongoing civil disturbances in Salford.[20]
