Viv Graham Jnr: "I'm Proud But Haunted By My Murdered Father's Name"

The son of notorious Tyneside hardman Viv Graham has told how he wanted to change his name to escape the torment of his father’s legacy. Viv Jnr was four when his dad was gunned down in a gangland execution after leaving a pub in Wallsend on New Year’s Eve, 1993. Now 22, Viv Jnr told how his father's past has made him a "magnet for trouble", and he has been involved in several violent incidents. He spoke after he was spared jail at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court for assaulting two people, a man and a woman. Prosecutors told how in October 2011 he attacked Edward McKay and Terry Cave near the Gala Field Youth Centre in Newbiggin Hall, Newcastle. Defence lawyer Andrew O’Hanlon said he was a "troubled man" because he was "living in his father’s shadow". After he was handed a suspended six-week prison sentence, Viv Jnr told Sky Tyne and Wear: “At one point I thought about changing my name.” Viv Snr was shot three times with a magnum handgun as he left the Queen’s Head pub in Wallsend High Street. Despite hundreds of people being questioned over the slaying, his killers have never been brought to justice. The 34-year-old had a fearsome reputation in Newcastle, but his son said he was also known for his softer side, and was described by many as a ‘gentlemen’. He had a criminal record for violence, which included a three-year prison sentence for a nightclub attack. Viv Jnr’s brother Dean, 24, was found dead at the wheel of a car from a heroin overdose in March 2010. Viv Jnr, who lives with his girlfriend Rebbeca Hebron, 28, and son Shay, five, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and one of carrying a blade. His prison term was suspended for 12 months and was warned he would be sent to jail if he offended again during that period.

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