Glasgow, Scotland—A brutal and deadly gang feud between the Daniel and Lyons families has led to a violent history of shootings, ambushes, and murders, becoming one of the most infamous crime stories in Scotland. What started as a rivalry over stolen drugs and turf disputes escalated into a bloodbath that spanned over two decades, shaking Glasgow’s underworld.
The Lambhill Shootout: A Bloody Beginning
On December 6, 2006, two men, Raymond Anderson and James McDonald, drove to Applerow Motors in Lambhill, North Glasgow. After disguising themselves with old man masks, they entered the garage and opened fire. The attack left David Lyons’ 21-year-old nephew, Michael Lyons, dead and two others, Steven Lyons and Robert Pickett, injured. The hit was orchestrated by the Daniel crime clan, believed to be led by Jamie Daniel. This marked a violent peak in the decades-long feud with the Lyons family, whose base was in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire.
The attack was linked to a financial dispute and a bloody rivalry that had its roots in a £20,000 cocaine heist, which had taken place at a Daniel safe house years earlier. Tensions grew as the Lyons family allegedly started trafficking drugs in territories controlled by the Daniels, prompting retaliatory strikes.
A Feud Escalates: A Deadly Cat-and-Mouse Game
The feud between the Daniels and Lyons families had been simmering for years before it turned into an all-out gang war. Early victims included Kevin “Gerbil” Carroll, a notorious figure in the Daniel clan, and Johnny Lyons, who was injured in separate attacks in 2003. By 2006, the violence had escalated further, with multiple shootings, including the desecration of the grave of Eddie Lyons’ son, Garry.
Carroll, a key player in the feud, had a history of criminal activity and was deeply involved in the violence. His unpredictable nature and violent tendencies made him a major target. In 2004, he was involved in a failed assassination attempt, and by 2009, his reputation for extreme brutality grew with his involvement in “alien abductions,” a series of kidnappings and tortures that left victims unable to remember their ordeal.
The Brutal Assassination of Kevin Carroll
The most shocking moment came on January 13, 2010, when Carroll was assassinated in a daring attack in front of horrified shoppers at an Asda in Robroyston, Glasgow. Carroll, who had recently been involved in a dispute with Eddie Lyons Jnr, was in a black Audi A3 when a Volkswagen Golf pulled up beside him. Two masked gunmen emerged and opened fire, shooting Carroll 13 times in a 25-second attack that left him dead in the car.
This brazen murder marked the climax of the feud and resulted in a high-profile investigation. William “Buff” Paterson, a key figure in the assassination, fled to Spain but later turned himself in, receiving a 22-year sentence.
The Aftermath: A Legacy of Violence
The murder of Carroll sparked more violence in the streets of Glasgow. In 2015, Ross Sherlock was shot near St Helen’s Primary School in Bishopbriggs, and in 2017, Ross Monaghan was shot outside St George’s Primary School in Penilee. Both incidents were linked to the gang violence that continued to plague the city.
The Daniels family’s hold on Glasgow’s underworld was further weakened after Jamie Daniel’s death from cancer in 2016. With no clear successor to the family’s criminal empire, the future of the Daniel clan seemed uncertain. His son, Zander Sutherland, who was serving a 13-and-a-half-year prison sentence for heroin trafficking, later fled to Norway, where he is currently fighting extradition.
A Deeply Rooted Conflict
The rivalry between the Daniels and Lyons families represents a violent chapter in Glasgow’s criminal history. What began with a drug-related theft in the early 2000s spiraled into decades of bloodshed, marked by murders, shootings, and intimidation. The feud not only consumed those involved but also left a lasting impact on the community, shaping the criminal landscape of Glasgow for years.
The tale of the Daniel and Lyons families is now chronicled in the BBC Radio 5 Live podcast Gangster: The Daniels and the Lyons, offering a detailed account of the savage battle for control of Glasgow’s drug trade. The six-part series delves into the series of tit-for-tat attacks, exploring the motives and personalities that drove this deadly gangland feud.
