Gangster bludgeoned with golf clubs after filming video outside Spanish bar where Scots mobsters shot dead
A gangster was brutally attacked just days after making a video at the scene of the murders of two Scottish mob leaders.
Self-styled social influencer Sam Walker – who has gathered a massive online following with reports on his criminal life – was seriously injured in the attack, which left him with a mass of staples in his skull. The attack came after he posted a video from Monaghan's bar in Fuengirola, in the Costa del Sol.
The 'reportage' video was seen by some in the community as disrespectful to victims Ross Monaghan, who owned the bar, and his long-time friend and associate Eddie Lyons jnr. The pair were gunned down on May 31 in front of terrified punters who had been enjoying the Champions League final.
Walker, from Liverpool, had visited the scene shortly after the horror shootings and used the footage on his Instagram and TikTok platforms.
He is heard saying at the end of the footage: 'This is a message to any one of yous out here. Stay on point, because if you get caught slipping. That's what happens. Three people have been whacked, two people are dead.
'Have a nice day, bam bam.'
It later emerged that Walker was savagely attacked in nearby Puerto Banus, where he suffered serious head injuries in the assault believed by some other bloggers to have involved golf clubs. After surgery in a Spanish hospital, he made a series of videos, showing off the staples that were holding his head together.
A source said: 'Sam Walker is very well known and has a big social media following but he is not in the same criminal league as some of the big players who have settled here. Walker is known to create noise around his movements and to chase followers and hits, so there was scepticism at the seriousness of the attack at the start.
'But it does seem that he was very badly injured. It has been reported on several social media channels that the side of his head was 'caved in' and fragments of bone were lodged in his brain.'
The source added: 'We don't know for sure but the video he made shortly after the Glasgow people were murdered did not go down well in some quarters and there remains the question that he was attacked as revenge.
'Spanish police are well aware of this suggestion. There are various theories as to the motive for the attack. It is almost certainly related to gangland grudges.'
In recent years, Walker has spent time in Sierra Leone, Turkey, Cyprus, Ireland, Thailand and other locations. His friends include other drug dealers and assorted criminals. The crook has attracted a big following on Instagram and TikTok but is mocked for fabricating stories.
He also been involved acts of kindness and charity work in Africa. In the summer of 2018, Walker filmed himself surrounded by celebrating children in a poverty-stricken slum in Sierra Leone.
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He had just overseen the delivery of a container full of supplies and the installation of a water tank and pipes to the West African country's capital, Freetown. Amid clapping and cheering, one man said: 'We are happy that our brother Sam has come to help us with water and sanitation. We thank God for him.'
Walker told the camera: 'Now, no child is going to have to drink dirty water again.'
The crook had travelled by private jet to Belgium, flown to Spain, caught a cargo ship to Morocco, then driven through the Sahara desert to reach his destination. All throughout his journey, he taunted police officers in social media posts, laughing and posting at the end of his epic trip: 'Better luck trying to catch me when I go out of the country next time, Merseyside Police.'
In March last year, Walker further mocked police after skipping bail in the UK and fleeing back to Sierra Leone by private jet. He was arrested by local armed officers as he filmed a live TikTok video.
Self-confessed career criminal Walker – who once threatened to end the career of England football star Ross Barkley and was involved in an unlikely spat with actor Stephen Fry – was tracked down as he toured the streets of the impoverished African country.
In September last year, the 40-year-old Scouser was convicted of contempt of court for live streaming on TikTok from an Irish courtroom. Walker, said to have convictions for more than 130 offences, was in court to plead guilty to driving offences.
Monaghan, 43, was shot dead alongside Lyons jnr, 46, in Fuengirola. Both men were senior members of the Lyons crime family. An alleged hitman has appeared in court after being arrested over the double killing.
Michael Riley, 44, of Liverpool's Huyton, is also fighting extradition to Spain. Merseyside Police nicked Riley on June 13 after Spanish officers issued an international arrest warrant.
A magistrates court deemed him a flight risk and remanded him in custody.
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