Revealed: Face of 'Deli Mob' enforcer who was hired to blind victims with acid
Jonathan Gordon
An enforcer for the notorious 'Deli Mob' in the UK who was paid cash to carry out acid attacks has been convicted in a Liverpool court.
The court also found that the “extremely dangerous” criminal charged £6,000 (€7,600) to carry out an acid attack and £10,000 (€11,700) to blind someone.
Jonathan Gordon, a member of Liverpool’s notorious Deli Mob, was found guilty of three counts of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
The trial heard how he took orders from a Mr Big who told him to 'pour a good litre on' and 'cook' the target via EncroChat messages.
Gordon (34) also shot up a man's house and was involved in two other street shootings in Liverpool - one of which shattered an elderly couple's bedroom window.
He was also convicted of 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.
His first victim had acid thrown in his face while going to his car in April 2019.
He was blinded but regained his sight months later following medical intervention and was able to identify Gordon.
Gordon was not put off carrying out a second attack even after he and his accomplices were forced to abort an operation after police stopped their car.
He later told his criminal paymaster: “He getting blinded, bro.”
But the attack was never carried out after police got wind of the operation.
But his planning unravelled after EncroChat was cracked by French and Dutch police and they spent two months harvesting the data before closing it down in 2020.
They shared their findings with law enforcement across Europe, leading to the arrests of hundreds of criminals.
EncroChat was an encrypted mobile phone service used by criminals to plan crimes, which they believed, was hidden from the eyes of law enforcement.
Previously encrypted messages on EncroChat - which was taken down in 2020 - found that Gordon was taking instructions from the unidentified crime boss.
The two had planned another acid attack on another man - with the crime boss messaging that he “needs a good litre on him” and a third attack on another.
The second attack was cancelled as lockdown measures were in place and those involved were concerned about their car being identified. The third was abandoned as the person targeted had CCTV at their house.
As well as the messages, forensic evidence connected Gordon to the seized vehicle.
Gordon was also involved in a plot to carry out a drive-by shooting on a property in Warrington in March 2020, along with an accomplice, Dylan Johnson.
Dylan Johnston
Johnson was convicted of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.
Ben Rutter, National Crime Agency Operations Manager, said: "I pay testimony to the victim in this case and thank him for his bravery and support in helping us bring Jonathan Gordon to justice.
"The victim suffered life changing injuries and the physical and mental toll of his attack cannot be overstated.
"Jonathan Gordon is an extremely dangerous offender. His actions were exceptionally wicked, he thought nothing of blinding victims for money.
'He brought a really high level of harm to the streets as an enforcer for his organised crime group and it is lucky no one was killed in his chaotic and reckless use of firearms.
"I commend investigating officers from the National Crime Agency, Merseyside Police and Cheshire Police. This was a long, complex investigation spanning a number of years and the officers worked tirelessly to ensure the evidence gathered left the jury in no doubt about Gordon's guilt."
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