A plumber who took part in the Southport riots has been jailed for drug dealing after his customer base 'evaporated' following his conviction. John O'Malley was sentenced to three years and four months at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday (September 21) after pleading guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply.
O'Malley, 45, of Cambridge Road in Southport, was previously imprisoned for violent disorder in August 2024, just days after his participation in riots on St Luke's Road in the coastal town. The riots followed the fatal stabbings of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar.
Undercover officers observed drug deal
Liverpool Crown Court was told how plain-clothed officers on patrol in the Southport area observed O'Malley engaged in what appeared to be a drugs deal from his van on the afternoon of July 28 this year. Police intercepted the person he was seen meeting and found him carrying a wrap of cocaine before stopping the defendant's vehicle.
Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting, outlined how a further 18 packages of the class A substance, worth between £700 and £1,300, were seized from O'Malley, alongside £195 in cash and a Samsung mobile phone which was 'ringing constantly'. O'Malley declined to answer questions when interviewed by detectives following his arrest.
Previous riot conviction detailed
O'Malley has three prior convictions for three offences, including the 32-month sentence for violent disorder. During that case, the court was told O'Malley was 'at the heart of the violence', with footage capturing him 'at the front of what was essentially a baying mob' and positioned beside a wrecked police vehicle while 'missiles were raining down on officers'.
The then Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC stated O'Malley had 'participated enthusiastically' in a 'relentless attack' before imposing the custodial sentence.
Defence cites lost business and motivation
O'Malley has been recalled to custody on licence until April next year after his most recent arrest. His defence barrister Paul Lewis explained: 'The defendant worked for years with his own plumbing business. He gets arrested for the violent disorder offences. Not surprisingly, his customer base evaporates, knowing that he had been convicted of that offence. He lost that business.'
Lewis added: 'He needed money to get his licences in order to go back to employment. He has long standing alcohol and drug problems. It was suggested to him that there was a way of obtaining short term cash so that he could earn an honest living. He does this for a short period of time and gets caught.'
'If I were to simply say that he did this to get back to legitimate employment, that would be a poor submission. But that was his motivation. Underneath, what he wants to do is move on and work. He has no partner and no children. He lost his father recently. It may be that he has a lack of a wider support network.'
Appearing via video link to HMP Altcourse wearing a checked shirt and glasses, O'Malley responded with 'thank you for your time' upon receiving his sentence.
Passing sentence, Judge Ian Unsworth KC stated: 'You, on licence, were seen dealing drugs. That turned out to be a relatively small amount of cocaine. Although you do have previous convictions, you do not have any convictions for any drug trafficking matters. However, your case is significantly aggravated by the fact that you were on licence at the time you were peddling class A drugs. Class A drugs wreck communities, individuals and the families of users. That you were doing this on licence is a significant aggravating feature. I accept that, no doubt now, in the cold light of day, you are remorseful for what you did.'
