Fears of retaliation after nephew of Glasgow gangster Billy Bates whose body was stuffed in an oil drum in the Clyde is savagely attacked in the street
Billy Joe Bates, 28, remains unconscious in hospital after being targeted by a violent mob who chased and then pounced on him after a party
THE nephew of a gangland murder victim is being treated for horror injuries after he was battered in a savage street attack.
Billy Joe Bates, 28, remains unconscious in hospital after being targeted by a violent mob who chased and then pounced on him after a party.
The sickening Glasgow assault came 11 years after the body of his drug-dealer uncle Billy Bates, 43, was found in an oil drum that had been dumped in the Clyde.
Billy Joe was also a close pal of executed drug dealer Kenny Reilly, 29, who was shot dead in April.
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And there are fears the brutal assault could lead to reprisals in the area.
A local in the city’s Milton district, who asked not to be named, said: “There seems to have been some sort of fight and chase before Billy Joe was attacked down the street.
“It looked afterwards like he was in a bad way.
“Billy Joe is well known here and has some well- connected family and friends.
“It would not surprise me if this was the start of some major trouble.”
Tonight, it was believed cops had still been unable to speak to Billy Joe, who remained seriously injured.
A source said: “Most people round here won’t say anything to the police, so they are struggling to find out exactly what has happened.”
The murder of Billy Joe’s uncle is one of Scotland’s most notorious cases.
It came after barman Tam Cameron, 49, was shot dead in the car park of the Auchinairn Tavern, near Glasgow, in June 2007.
Weeks later the body of Bates was discovered stuffed in a barrel in the Clyde.
Cops said he’d been the victim of a “sustained attack” and suffered “horrific injuries”.
Feared hood Derek ‘Deco’ Ferguson, 53, is wanted over both killings. The enforcer has been on the run for more than ten years and is being hunted by the EU’s law enforcement agency Europol.
It’s thought he killed Bates over fears his fellow crim would tell cops about his slaying of Mr Cameron.
Billy Joe’s shattered pals posted messages of support online last night after news of Sunday’s attack emerged.
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One wrote: “I’m absolutely f***ing gutted. Keep fighting cause you can do this.”
Another added: “Can’t stop thinking of you bro. Mon bro ur a fighter. You can pull through this.”
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “A man was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary, where his condition is described as serious. Our enquiries are ongoing.”
Reilly, was blasted in the head in April as he sat in a friend’s BMW in the city’s Maryhill. Cops are continuing to hunt for his assassin.
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