Gangland Unsolved: In the third of a new series looking at some of Scotland’s most baffling unsolved gangland murders, we examine the apparently motiveless fatal shooting of a 49 year old barman outside the pub where he worked.
12:00, 11 Apr 2026
(Image: PA)
It was late June and a number of regulars were enjoying an early evening drink in the Auchinairn Tavern in Bishopbriggs on the outskirts of Glasgow.
Around 7pm, a member of the bar staff, 49 year old Tam Cameron was told there were two men in the car park outside waiting to see him.
What happened next resulted in a murder that shocked Scotland with its almost casual brutality.
Shortly after greeting the two men one of them pulled out a gun and shot Tam, who was married with two daughters, through the chest.
He rushed to the nearby nearby Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow – after being found by horrified staff and customers – but was dead on arrival.
In the days following the brutal murder in 2007, detectives revealed that Tam was the intended victim – though they hadn’t established a motive.
However a suspect quickly emerged who police then discovered had fled Scotland and was now in Spain.
He was Derek “Deco” Ferguson, a 43 year old man from the Possilpark area of Glasgow. A number of addresses there were searched in the city but there was no sign of the man.
At that stage his name was not released to the public or media but forces across Europe, particularly Spain, were given his description and told to look out for him.
A month later a second murder was discovered which appeared to have links to the fatal shooting of Tam Cameron.
The partially decomposed body of Billy Bates, 43, was found in an oil drum on July 28 by council workers near the Erskine Bridge in West Dunbartonshire.
He had gone missing missing shortly after Thomas had been murdered.
Bates had also been wanted for questioning in connection with the barman’s murder, along with Ferguson.
Detectives had been trying to track him down since Tam Cameron was murdered.
It’s understood he had confided in pals that he wanted to contact them and provide a statement.
Police believe his body was in the water for up to two weeks and had been the victim of a “sustained attack” and suffered “horrific injuries”.
Bates had not been seen for several weeks before the discovery of his body.
At this stage police were still trying to establish a motive for Tam Cameron’s murder.
It was rumoured that he owed money but nothing could excuse the brutality of the murder.
In the next four years the search for prime suspect Ferguson spread across Europe and further afield.
In 2011 police publicly named Ferguson for the first time and a photograph and description was issued
They revealed he used a number of aliases, spoke with a false Irish accent and went by the nickname Deco.
They also believed he was travelling between Ireland, Portugal, Holland, Turkey and Spain under a false name and was being given financial support – though from whom was not clear.
Officers even travelled to Madrid to make a joint appeal for information with the Spanish authorities.
It was was part of wider crackdown on British criminal suspects living abroad.
Though others were arrested as a result of the investigations, Ferguson could not be found.
In 2017 it was revealed that Ferguson may have made a brief secret return to Scotland in 2015 possibly on a fake passport.
By now a special team had been set up at the Scottish Crime Campus in Gartcosh, Lanarkshire, to find the fugitive.
At the time the man leading the investigation DCI Mark Bell appealed in our sister paper the Sunday Mail for Ferguson to hand himself in adding: “It must be a difficult and stressful existence looking over your shoulder all the time.”
In 2021, on the 14th anniversary of Tam Cameron’s murder, a £5000 reward was issued by Crimestoppers, which was increased to £10,000 the following year.
Police also released computer-generated images of what Deco may look like now.
Over the years the hunt for Ferguson has also involved police forces across Europe, Interpol and the National Crime Agency in London.
Ferguson’s name has appeared on numerous websites of high-profile ‘most wanted’ criminals.
While Police Scotland have been successful in bringing other fugitives to justice in recent years, Ferguson still eludes them.
Graeme Pearson former Director General of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency told the Daily Record: “The fact that the suspect has been on the run for so long is in itself unusual.
“It is indicative of someone who has the connections and the financial support to maintain the anonymity
“You need help to do that, you cannot do it on your own.
“It’s likely that if he is still alive he has created a whole new life for himself.”
Graeme believes that the alleged killer took the gun to the Auchinairn Tavern meaning to use it.
He added:”If you are going to see a barman in the car park of the pub where the man works perhaps to settle a dispute the you are not going to pull out a gun just to frighten him.
“Something of significance has happened before the murder.
“If he is still alive who is supporting him and how has he managed to stay anonymous for so long and whose identity has he taken on.
“He may have a new identity but he must have left a footprint somewhere.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “The murders of Thomas Cameron and William Bates remain unresolved.
“Unresolved murders are cases that are never closed and Police Scotland is fully committed to identifying those people responsible for all such cases.
“Police Scotland works closely with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and meets regularly to review outstanding unresolved murders from across the country.
“Working collaboratively, the potential for new investigative opportunities is regularly assessed to maximise the ability to deliver justice for grieving families, irrespective of the passage of time.
“As with any unresolved murder case, we would review any new information provided to police and investigate further if appropriate.”
