I've spoken to former drug dealers from Grangetown, Eston and South Bank, as well as figures like former pro-boxer Manny Burgo and school friends of Lee", Jamie told Teesside Live. Read More Related Articles But police believed there would be no man able to take Duffy’s spot. Detective Chief Inspector Brian Leonard, who led the hunt for Duffy’s killer, said at the time: “There won’t be another bloke like Duffy; he was a one off.” A part of Teesside folklore Stephen and his brothers Michael and John Henry earned a reputation as one of the North East’s most notorious underworld families. READ MORE: The tale of Teesside's most notorious hardman who was killed in a street brawl over three decades ago Allison smiled and cheers erupted from the public gallery when a jury found him not guilty of murder and manslaughter. Read More Related Articles

From what I've heard mate, from a good source, he was a bit of a bully and he wasn't what you would call a hard fella. The court heard heard movie-like tales of Duffy's violent ways with details of his gun-toting exploits. Duffy had played "Russian roulette" with a loaded revolver, declaring himself "invincible". We spent three days talking through the walls before we became firm friends and as the years progressed we became extremely close, not just Lee and I, Lee became close to my brothers too." Many comparisons have been made between Duffy and Graham, who was shot dead in Wallsend in 1993, over the years. There were a few times where I had told him something about someone and then later on if we bumped into that person he would repeat what I had said about them to their face.But towards the end of his life he was a ‘marked man’ on Teesside, who had survived three alleged attempts on his life, having been shot twice and had petrol poured over him. When the verdict was read, cheers erupted from the public gallery and Allison could be seen smiling. Outside the court, his mother said: "It's not a true verdict. A 'never-before-seen' picture of Lee Duffy is set to feature in a new book which details the notorious life of a reformed Tyneside gangster. Duffy spent many years in Durham Prison and was in at the same time as Viv Graham. They clashed because they were the alpha male type. It was almost like he wanted to prove who was the top dog in the North East,” said Jamie.

Like most people he could argue till he was blue in the face but if he was proved wrong then he would always apologise and admit that he was wrong." Read More Related Articles Recalling the moment he heard his pal had been killed, he said: "The day I found out Lee had died, I was in the Bay Horse Inn, I was still rough from the night before and when the word came into Newcastle that the Duff was dead, well I was absolutely devastated to say the least. Prior to his violent death in 1991, the ex-boxer and bouncer had already survived three alleged attempts on his life - he was shot on two occasions and once had petrol poured over him. When we introduced the two of them it turned out that they had previously fought each other in the ring at an unlicensed show. READ MORE: ' Never before seen' jacuzzi picture of Lee Duffy surfaces in book about notorious Tyneside gangsterBoyle was told directly by Duffy’s family not to write the book. They pleaded with him. Duff’s brother Lawrie (who I knew and has since died) was devastated as it was just raking up a painful and traumatic past for a few quid. Boyle end up writing a couple of Duffy books so you know what he’s all about morally when the family of a dead man were reaching out asking him not to do the book. And he ends up doing a few plus a DVD. And now it has been revealed who will take on the roles of two of the biggest names from this region's underworld past. Duffy was one of the most feared hard men in the region and wreaked havoc until his death at the age of 26 in 1991. I don’t think there’s anything clever about being a bully, but I don’t think there’s anything good about a young lad at 26 losing his life either. It adds: "Lee did have regrets in life. He loved his mam dearly and he was ashamed of what he had put his mother through over the years.