A notorious gangster who orchestrated brutal acid attacks has finally been caught after a painstaking five-year pursuit by law enforcement agencies.
Lee Deakin had only stepped out of his home in St Helens on 14 April 2019 to grab a phone charger from his car when horror struck.
As he approached his vehicle, he noticed a man crouching nearby. Before he could even ask, “What are you doing?”, acid was hurled at his face. His eyes burned. His skin felt “like jelly”.
The attacker, later identified as hitman-for-hire Jonathan Gordon, was a known member of Liverpool’s feared Deli Mob gang. The assault almost cost Mr Deakin his sight.
Acid Attack Specialist for Hire
Investigations later revealed Gordon’s name was whispered in criminal circles across the north-west. Through encrypted chats on Encrochat, Gordon, operating under the alias “ValuedBridge”, offered his services to injure, disfigure, and maim, charging up to £10,000 per job.
Encrochat, once hailed by criminals as uncrackable, turned out to be their undoing. In a major coup, Dutch and French police hacked the platform in late 2019 and shared intelligence with Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA).
Secret monitoring continued until June 2020, when Encrochat finally realised the breach. For many gangsters, that warning came too late.
Conversations of Violence and Firepower
Gordon frequently communicated with another criminal, “AceProspect”, later unmasked as Philip Waugh from Warrington, Cheshire. Waugh was in the business of selling military-grade weaponry – AK47s, Uzi sub-machine guns, and more – to organised crime groups across the UK.
Though not charged for the attack on Mr Deakin, Waugh had chilling conversations with Gordon about orchestrating similar acid attacks. He admitted conspiring to grievously harm Nathan Simpson in April 2020.
In messages discussing Mr Simpson, Waugh coldly instructed Gordon: “Just need him blind and face melted.”
Gordon, recalling the St Helens attack, grumbled that Deakin had “got to the sink” to wash off the acid. In response, Waugh urged him to ensure Simpson was “stabbed in the leg” and suggested “doubling the dose.” He even wanted Simpson’s partner blinded too.
Photographs of acid canisters were exchanged, and discussions around “cooking” their victims ensued. Yet, an attempt on Simpson’s life was abandoned on 6 April 2020 when Gordon spotted CCTV cameras. A day later, a police patrol spooked Gordon, forcing him to flee and abandon his car.
From Liverpool Gunfights to Spanish Hideouts
By July 2020, Gordon’s reign of terror ended when he was arrested and later jailed for life, with a minimum 24-year term, for a string of violent crimes, including non-fatal shootings.
One bullet during a residential shootout in Walton, Liverpool, even smashed into the home of an elderly couple.
Meanwhile, Waugh had slipped into Spain. From there, he continued orchestrating illegal operations, including smuggling firearms into Britain. His associate, Robert Brazendale, based in Warrington, buried semi-automatic pistols in his back garden to supply crime groups.
Brazendale was arrested in November 2020 and initially sentenced to 11 years and three months, later reduced to 10 years following an appeal.
Final Arrest and Charges
The elusive Waugh was finally tracked down in September 2024, hiding in a luxury villa in Benahavís, Malaga. Spanish Guardia Civil officers arrested him, and he was swiftly extradited to Britain.
A major seizure followed: two AK-47s, Uzi and Skorpion submachine guns, a Grand Power automatic pistol, a Smith & Wesson revolver, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
Last week, Waugh and Brazendale both appeared at Liverpool Crown Court, where they admitted orchestrating the planned acid attack on Mr Simpson and multiple firearms offences. Sentencing will take place in June.
Ben Rutter, senior investigating officer for the NCA, commented: “The NCA worked for five years to trace, locate and bring Philip Waugh to justice under Operation Venetic.
He supplied an array of terrifying automatic and semi-automatic weaponry to offenders who were planning horrific crimes. He didn’t care at all about who might be killed in the process – he only cared about money. He is an extremely dangerous offender.”
The capture of Philip Waugh and Jonathan Gordon marks a significant victory for law enforcement in the fight against organised crime. Their reign of terror left behind victims scarred for life and communities living in fear.
As Britain’s authorities continue their crackdown on encrypted criminal networks, this case serves as a stark reminder – no fugitive can run forever.
