Fresh appeal to find Scots murder suspects

FRESH appeals have been made regarding two Scottish fugitives, wanted on suspicion of murder, who are believed to be hiding out in Spain.

William Paterson and Derek McGraw Ferguson are part of Operation Captura’s list of ten of the UK’s most wanted. The men are both from Glasgow. Paterson is the suspect in the gangland shooting of Kevin “Gerbil” Carroll in the car park of an Asda supermarket in Robroyston, Glasgow, while McGraw Ferguson is being hunted for the murder of Thomas Cameron on 28 June, 2007, at the Auchinairn Tavern, in Bishopbriggs near Glasgow.

Ferguson, 5ft 2ins and bald, has tattoos on his left arm of a heart, an arrow and a dagger, and is missing part of his left ear. He is considered dangerous and violent.

Mr Cameron, whose son Ross had been murdered 18 months earlier in a crime police said was not connected, went into the car park of the pub where he worked to meet two men. An argument broke out and he was shot.

He was taken to hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

Like Ferguson, Paterson, who is nicknamed Buff or Billy, has been on Crimestoppers’ Operation Captura list for some time.

He is 6ft 1in, with red or auburn hair.

Carroll, a career criminal, was also known as Kevin McCabe. At the time, his death sparked fears of a new turf war for control of north Glasgow’s drugs market. Ross Monaghan, 29, is due to stand trial for Carroll’s murder on 5 March, next year.

The new appeal is being launched simultaneously in the UK and Spain, with the men’s faces to appear on TV and in newspapers across both countries.

Crimestoppers says it has received a lot of information on both suspects from previous appeals, although neither it, nor the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), which leads the investigations, were prepared to comment on where in Spain the men are, or what their movements have been.

Operation Captura has been very successful in the five years it has been running, with the arrests of 46 individuals, including eight for murder, three for armed robbery, three for serious violence, four for sexual crimes, and 19 for drugs offences.

Lord Ashcroft, founder and chairman of Crimestoppers, said: “Operation Captura is a unique partnership that has seen huge success in bringing some of the UK’s most wanted fugitives to justice.”

Andy Baker, deputy director of Soca, said: “Operation Captura has proved immensely successful, not only in aiding the arrest of individuals attempting to hide amongst the expat community in Spain, but also as a means of raising the profile of these individuals and making Spain a hostile environment for British criminals. We look forward to continuing this work with Crimestoppers.”