A dangerous hitman behind a series of shootings was caged for life after launching a bottle of acid into a dad's face for money, leaving the victim with permanent injuries.
Gang member Jonathan Gordon, 34, offered his services on the EncroChat phone network using the handle 'ValuedBridge', and was hired by an unidentified gang boss behind the handle 'AceProspect' to carry out horrifying attacks on several enemies.
The messages revealed how Gordon, based in Kirkdale, Liverpool, charged £6,000 for an acid attack, which rose to £10,000 to permanently blind the victim, Liverpool Echo reports.
Gordon was identified as the man behind a devastating attack on Lee Deakin, who was targeted on April 14, 2019, as he stepped outside his home to retrieve a phone charger from his car.
Mr Deakin, from St Helens, remains in a constant battle to keep his sight, and even required emergency surgery this week due to complications from the attack three years on.
Liverpool Crown Court heard as well as being convicted of the near-blinding of Mr Deakin, Gordon was also convicted of two plots to carry out similar attacks that were aborted at the last stage, plus a spate of shootings including two running gun battles on the streets of Liverpool.
Today, Judge David Aubrey QC ensured it would be decades before Gordon and his accomplice, 28-year-old Dylan Johnston, are able to walk the streets.
He told them: "The offences for which you both fall to be sentenced are of the upmost gravity, some of them chilling in the extreme.
"You, Gordon, were the holder of the handle known as ValuedBridge, and between April 2019 and May 2020 you were plotting, planning and committing grave offences, some of which came to fruition, some of which did not.
"You were recruited by others to act as a hitman, an enforcer, you were prepared on one occasion, without any compassion whatsoever to inflict serious, long-lasting injury on your victim. You did so for pounds, shillings and pence."
Judge Aubrey said messages revealed Gordon's asking price for blinding victims.
He told Gordon: "Your trade was not confined to acid attacks, you had ready access to several lethal firearms and ammunition. That speaks volumes to your ruthlessness and callousness and inhumanity to man. Your complete disregard for the sanctity of life and fellow human-beings knows no bounds.
"That which you did or were seeking to do reached the depths of inhumanity. There is no mitigation."
Alexander Leach, QC, prosecuting, said Mr Deakin had hoped to attend the hearing, but his injuries meant he had undergone surgery again this week.
However, he read a harrowing victim personal statement penned by the victim, who described being thrown into a "world of darkness, depression and dependency".
He said: "I felt a splash of liquid on my face and my eyes burned, everything went dark, it burned my mouth and everything tasted like chemicals. All I could smell was an ammonia type smell, I knew I was in trouble."
Mr Deakin found his way back into the house and blasted his eyes with water, as his girlfriend desperately called for help.
He said: "My skin felt like jelly. As I washed my face it felt as if my skin was falling off my face. My eyes and skin continued to burn and I was in agony."
The attack left Mr Deakin on the verge of permanent blindness, and he still requires intensive treatment, although his sight has partially returned.
Meanwhile, messages on the Encrochat platform between Gordon and AceProspect bemoaned the fact "that c*** got to the sink" to wash the acid off his face.
Mr Deakin added: “I worried that I would forget my children’s faces. I thought about the fact they would age and their faces would change, but I would only ever know them as children."
Encrochat messages revealed Gordon had tried to organise a similar attack against a man in Blackpool early in April 2020, which was called off due to the roads being deserted during the coronavirus lockdown.
AceProspect had told Gordon the victim "needs a good litre on him".
On April 6, Gordon recruited violent thug Johnston and petty criminal Stephen Wissett, 27, who later admitted being in "way over his head".
The pair were told to drive a stolen Ford Fiesta car from Kirkdale to Birtles Road, Warrington where Johnston would hurl acid at another man, however that plan was aborted when the pair spotted CCTV near the victim's house.
AceProspect was unimpressed and told Gordon to go back and "double the dose". He suggested stabbing the victim in the leg to prevent him "getting to the sink" and washing off the acid.
Johnston and Wissett travelled to Kirkdale on the following day but a car they and Gordon were travelling in was approached by Merseyside Police officers. The three men fled but the vehicle was seized and examined.
Their efforts to attack the Warrington man were put on hold, messages revealed, when a grenade was left outside the property on April 14, 2020, prompting the bomb squad to come out and armed police to attend the scene.
Gordon still promised his boss the attack would happen, writing: "He getting blinded bro".
As part of the Encrochat investigation, Gordon was linked to a gun battle on May 25, 2020, in Wilburn Street, Walton.
He told AceProspect he had "let off a clip in the street". Police attended the scene and found a kicked open front door with Gordon's DNA on the handle.
The thug was linked to another open gunfight on Carisbrooke Road, Walton, where he exchanged shots with a man on an electric bike.
A stray bullet fired from Gordon's Grand Power handgun went through the window of an elderly couple's home before lodging in a wall.
Gordon also hired Johnston to carry out yet another shooting in Reaper Close, Warrington, on March 20, 2020.
Gordon stayed in Kirkdale, overseeing the operation, while Johnston opened fire on a house using the same Grand Power gun. Judge Aubrey concluded Johnston was the trigger-man.
Gordon, of no fixed address but from Kirkdale, denied any wrongdoing but was convicted by a jury of three counts of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm; two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, and one count of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Johnston, also of no fixed address but from Ellesmere Port, also ran a trial but was convicted of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.
Wissett, also of Ellesmere Port, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.
Judge Aubrey said Gordon's "extreme dangerousness" and lack of remorse meant a life-sentence was needed to protect the public. Gordon was handed a minimum term of 24 years and eight months before any possibility of being released by a Parole Board.
Michael Baguely, representing Johnston, said his client had poor thinking skills, had been diagnosed with ADHD as a child and demonstrated "chronic immaturity".
Judge Aubrey said he could stop short of imposing a life sentence, but hit Johnston with a lengthy extended sentence of 27 years in prison with an additional four on licence. This means Johnston must serve two thirds of his sentence before any possibility of early release.
Mark Le Brocq, representing Wissett, said his client had no previous involvement in serious organised crime and regretted becoming involved.
Wissett was sentenced separately due to fears of conflict with the two co-defendants. Judge Aubrey sentenced him to 12 years in prison, of which he must serve two third before being released on licence.
Ben Rutter, NCA Operations Manager, said: “Gordon caused life-changing injuries to one victim who has suffered an unimaginable physical and mental ordeal. The victim’s bravery in helping with our investigation was crucial to seeing Gordon locked up today.
“Jonathan Gordon is a terrifyingly dangerous offender, he was totally unconcerned about blinding someone for money. This investigation spanned a number of years and brought out the best in our officers who were aided by superb work from Merseyside Police and Cheshire Police."
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