Viv Graham (1959-1993) was a doorman, amateur boxer and gangster who was known throughout Newcastle and Gateshead, establishing himself as one of the most feared men in the North East of England
Born in Rowsland Gill, Gateshead, Graham later moved to Walkerlands in Newcastle. Here, he reached adulthood during an era of upheaval and unrest amidst the decline of the North East’s industries which led to a surge in unemployment, and consequentially, disorder as an entire generation of young men entered life without any opportunities.
This to led the North East being plagued with riots (especially in North Tyneside) sporadic crime and other problems, which is of course why this era forged so many “hard men”. This had a strong impact on Viv Graham and his entry into work as a doorman.
He eventually got engaged to Anna Connelly. Anna already had, remarkably, five children from a previous relationship. Viv adopted them and became their stepfather.
Viv is described as being an extraordinarily humble and simplistic person who carried little for materialistic possessions, with his “car being his own possession that ever meant anything to him”
As he pursued his security career, his influence over the city grew and soon established his own security firm which carved out its own territory in the East End of Newcastle and Byker, recruiting disillusioned young men who was able to keep “on the right track”. Here, he was described as being “well liked by the publicans” and was “their first port of call if they ran into trouble.”
Viv was capable of taking “the fear of trouble and crushed it up into his powerful hands that could be just as soft and caring towards people who needed help paying their bills.”
These descriptions of him from those him made him known as a “soft touch” which “set him apart from other hard men” and therefore not the “stereotype hard man who could be described as the school bully.” Those who knew him have argued that Viv as a person was very different to the one depicted in the press in the years that followed.
Fight with Ernie Bewick
At some point in the 1990s, Viv engaged in a boxing match with his Sunderland counterpart, Ernie Bewick, another man who was feared for his toughness yet ultimately respected for his good nature towards others. Viv described Ernie as “the nicest person I’d ever met, sound as a pound”. In the match, Viv was not able to defeat Ernie and the two fought each other to a draw.
Murder
The most tragic aspect of Viv Graham’s life was that he was ultimately murdered in 1993 by an unknown assailant who shot him three times in Wallsend in front of his car. Despite a police manhunt spanning over 1000 suspects, and seven different aspects, the killer was never caught or charged. Police detectives later stated the killing created a “power vacuum” which left people afraid to come forward. Even a £100,000 reward was not able to entice people to bring out the truth.
The murder of Viv led to a huge outpouring of grief which seen thousands of mourners attend his funeral in Rowsland Gill where he was born, and there were so many from the East End of Newcastle that even a double decker bus was used to transport them there!