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Edinburgh Live
3 days ago
- General
- Edinburgh Live
Gangland feud whistleblower believes the 'cancer of organised crime' has been allowed to fester
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The whistleblower who first exposed the criminal activities of the Lyons family 25 years ago has slammed both police and politicians for ignoring his warnings. Billy McAllister, a former SNP councillor, said that the current murderous feud with the Daniel crime clan could have been avoided had the authorities listened to him at the time. It comes after detectives in Spain stepped up their hunt for the killers of Lyons gang members Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons jnr. The gangsters were shot dead in an Irish bar owned by Monaghan in the Spanish holiday resort of Fuengirola by a lone gunman who escaped in a waiting car. Back in 2000, Billy first exposed the Lyons family's involvement in the running of the public funded Chirnsyde Community Initiative in Milton, Glasgow. His complaints that the community centre was a cover for organised crime were dismissed for years by both the police and Glasgow City Council. However that all changed in 2006 when Lyons family member Michael Lyons was shot dead in a Glasgow garage by two associates of the Daniel family, Raymond Anderson and James McDonald. The victim's cousin Steven Lyons was seriously injured by the gunmen as was Lyons associate Robert Pickett. Glasgow City Council finally shut down Chirnsyde and evicted members of the Lyons family from the community centre a few days later. At the time a young Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr were both members of the Club Boys - a group of young aspiring criminals attached to the centre. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Billy, who is a former SNP councillor, said the latest bloodshed which saw both men murdered in cold blood on Saturday night was avoidable and preventable had the authorities taken action much sooner. He added: "It's shocking that two young men have lost their lives, but what is more shocking is the fact that the assassination was in a public bar where members of the public were going about their lawful business, having a good night out and their lives where put in danger. "Surely given all the intelligence and information they (the police) have on these criminals how was this allowed to happen? "It was wrong for the police and politicians to ignore us. If they had done an early intervention then maybe a lot of people might just be still living. Now 25 years later the feud is still ongoing and they (the police) are losing the war." It's estimated that the Lyons run community centre received more than £1.4 million in taxpayers money before it was finally closed down. By this time the Lyons had established themselves as a major organised crime group, at war with their Daniel rivals. Billy added: "The origins of the feud was all drug related, and control of that market. "The Lyons along with the Daniel's were determined to control the north of the city at that time. "They always hated each other going away back to when they where petty criminals. We kept on complaining but they just ignored it, but low and behold it all came out at the end." Billy won election to Glasgow City Council in 2006 as a local councillor in Milton by vowing to evict the Lyons crime gang from Chirnsyde. He continued: "A top policeman told me that the police and politicians had left the cancer of serious and organised crime too long without addressing the problem head on. "That's why criminality is a growth industry, the risks are very low of getting caught. "The Lyons could have been taken out when they where petty criminals but they have been allowed to go undetected and look where we are now." The long running feud was reignited in March this year when the Daniel family and associates were targeted in a series of fire bombings and other attacks. The man alleged to have orchestrated the most recent violence is former Rangers ultra 31 year old Ross McGill who is based in Dubai and said to have close links to the Lyons. His gang Tamo Junto have laid the blame for the double murder on a major gangland figure, said to be a key associate of the Daniel family. It's claimed the Lyons had been feeding McGill information to help his gang track their Daniel targets in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The deaths of Monaghan and Lyons Jnr is the most dramatic escalation of the feud to date which has largely been played out in public. In 2010 feared Daniel enforcer and family member Kevin Carroll was shot dead by two men in the car park of an ASDA store in Robroyston, Glasgow. Two years later Ross Monaghan stood trial at the High Court in Glasgow for the murder but walked free after a judge ruled there was no case to answer. In 2017 Monaghan was shot while dropping off his daughter at her primary school in Penilee, Glasgow but escaped with minor injuries. He then relocated to Spain where he opened Monaghan's Bar. Police Scotland has so far arrested 41 people over the most recent incidents in Edinburgh and Glasgow as part of Operation Portaledge. In a statement they said they did not believe they were linked to the weekend fatal shootings in Spain. However there are fears that both murders have taken the Lyons-Daniel feud to a whole new level with the prospect of further violence and retribution.
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Daily Record
Gangland feud whistleblower says "cancer of organised crime" allowed to fester
Former Glasgow City councillor Billy McAllister believes the current violence involving the rival Lyons and Daniel families could have been avoided when he first raised concerns with the authorities in 2000. The man who first exposed the criminal activities of the Lyons family 25 years ago has slammed police and politicians for ignoring his warnings of future bloodshed. Whistleblower Billy McAllister says the current murderous feud with the Daniel crime clan could have been avoided had the authorities listened to him at the time. McAllister was speaking as detectives in Spain stepped up their hunt for the killers of Lyons gang members Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons jnr. Both men were shot dead in an Irish bar owned by Monaghan in the Spanish holiday resort of Fuengirola by a lone gunman who escaped in a waiting car. In 2000 Billy first exposed the Lyons family's involvement in the running of the public funded Chirnsyde Community Initiative in Milton, Glasgow. His complaints that the community centre was a cover for organised crime were dismissed for years by both the police and Glasgow City Council. However that all changed in 2006 when Lyons family member Michael Lyons was shot dead in a Glasgow garage by two associates of the Daniel family, Raymond Anderson and James McDonald. The victim's cousin Steven Lyons was seriously injured by the gunmen as was Lyons associate Robert Pickett. Glasgow City Council finally shut down Chirnsyde and evicted members of the Lyons family from the community centre a few days later. At the time a young Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons jnr were both members of the Club Boys - a group of young aspiring criminals attached to the centre. Billy, who is a former SNP councillor, said the latest bloodshed which saw both men murdered in cold blood on Saturday night was avoidable and preventable had the authorities taken action much sooner. He added:"It's shocking that two young men have lost their lives, but what is more shocking is the fact that the assignation was in a public bar where members of the public were going about their lawful business, having a good night out and their lives where put in danger. "Surely given all the intelligence and information they (the police) have on these criminals how was this allowed to happen? "It was wrong for the police and politicians to ignore us. "If they had done an early intervention then maybe a lot of people might just be still living. "Now 25 years later the feud is still ongoing and they (the police) are losing the war." It's estimated that the Lyons run community centre received more than £1.4 million in taxpayers money before it was finally closed down. By this time the Lyons had established themselves as a major organised crime group, at war with their Daniel rivals. Billy added: "The origins of the feud was all drug related, and control of that market. "The Lyons along with the Daniel's were determined to control the north of the city at that time. "They always hated each other going away back to when they where petty criminals. "We kept on complaining but they just ignored it, but low and behold it all came out at the end." Billy won election to Glasgow City Council in 2006 as a local councillor in Milton by vowing to evict the Lyons crime gang from Chirnsyde. He continued: "A top policeman told me that the police and politicians had left the cancer of serious and organised crime too long without addressing the problem head on. "That's why criminality is a growth industry, the risks are very low of getting caught. "The Lyons could have been taken out when they where petty criminals but they have been allowed to go undetected and look where we are now." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The long running feud was reignited in March this year when the Daniel family and associates were targeted in a series of fire bombings and other attacks. The man alleged to have orchestrated the most recent violence is former Rangers ultra 31 year old Ross McGill who is based in Dubai and said to have close links to the Lyons. His gang Tamo Junto have laid the blame for the double murder on a major gangland figure, said to be a key associate of the Daniel family. It's claimed the Lyons had been feeding McGill information to help his gang track their Daniel targets in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The deaths of Monaghan and Lyons jnr is the most dramatic escalation of the feud to date which has largely been played out in public. In 2010 feared Daniel enforcer and family member Kevin Carroll was shot dead by two men in the car park of an ASDA store in Robroyston, Glasgow. Two years later Ross Monaghan stood trial at the High Court in Glasgow for the murder but walked free after a judge ruled there was no case to answer. In 2017 Monaghan was shot while dropping off his daughter at her primary school in Penilee, Glasgow but escaped with minor injuries. He then relocated to Spain where he opened Monaghan's Bar. Police Scotland has so far arrested 41 people over the most recent incidents in Edinburgh and Glasgow as part of Operation Portaledge. In a statement they said they did not believe they were linked to the weekend fatal shootings in Spain. However there are fears that both murders have taken the Lyons-Daniel feud to a whole new level with the prospect of further violence and retribution.
