Four men who targeted a tourist from Ireland in Liverpool city centre, stealing his phone and then blackmailing him for its return, have been sentenced. Judge David Swinnerton told them their actions had 'damaged the reputation of the entire city and its nightlife'.
How the crime unfolded
Alan O'Sullivan was visiting Liverpool from the Republic of Ireland on December 20 2024 when his phone was snatched from his hands on Seel Street at around 4am by a man in a white t-shirt. About 10 minutes later, Ellis Atkinson, Anthony Hughes, Warren Sandringham and Liam Southern approached him.
According to prosecutor Holly Menary, the group told Mr O'Sullivan he could have his phone back if he paid them £300. Hughes claimed he had bought the phone from a woman who had purchased it from the thief. When the victim said his debit card was not working, the group surrounded him and demanded he use his banking app to transfer money into Southern's account.
Mr O'Sullivan entered his PIN incorrectly four times, causing the transactions to fail and making the gang 'agitated and aggressive'. Fearing they might be armed, he told them he had money at his hotel and led them there.
Hotel room blackmail
Hughes followed Mr O'Sullivan into his hotel room and was given roughly €300 in cash. He then demanded a further £300 payment into his account, which was completed, before leaving after about 20 minutes. The other three remained outside, buzzing the intercom and kicking doors, prompting hotel staff to call 999. Police arrested all four in an 'intoxicated' state on Seel Street. Hughes was found with €175 and a bank card in Mr O'Sullivan's name.
In a statement read to the court, the victim said he had lived in Liverpool from 2016 to 2019 and regularly returned for work, describing it as 'a good city and a safe place to work and live'. Since the incident, he said he had avoided trips to Liverpool where possible and felt 'anxious and intimidated, especially at night'.
Defendants' backgrounds
Southern, 27, of no fixed address but from Netherton, had two previous convictions and was on licence for a seven-year-nine-month sentence for drug trafficking imposed in 2020. His barrister Ken Heckle said he was 'not at the forefront of those negotiations' and had tried to do courses while in custody.
Sandringham, 28, also of no fixed address, had nine convictions for 14 offences and was on licence. His counsel Matthew O'Neill said alcohol had been 'a substantial issue in his life from a very young age' and that he had used time in custody 'productively'.
Atkinson, 28, of Patmos Close in Everton, had 12 convictions for 18 offences, including a suspended sentence. His barrister Lucy Moran said he played a 'peripheral' role, was a drug user, and had a supportive partner and children, including a 10-year-old with autism.
Sentences
All four admitted blackmail on the day of trial. Southern and Sandringham were jailed for 27 months each. Atkinson received a 27-month sentence suspended for 30 months with a rehabilitation activity requirement, alcohol monitoring, and a building choices programme. Hughes, of Hilton Court in Netherton, will be sentenced later.
Judge Swinnerton said the victim 'was vulnerable in the sense that he was very drunk on his own in the street. That is why he was targeted.' He added: 'This city relies these days, not entirely, but quite a lot of its prosperity comes from its reputation to have a good night out. Part of that reputation is that people must feel safe. It is to the detriment and damage of the entire city when people like you behave like this to visitors to our city.'
