Thomas Jardine was stabbed in the head with a machete before his downward sprial
19:00, 30 Jul 2025Updated 19:06, 30 Jul 2025
Thomas Jardine, of Chapelhill Road in Moreton, Wirral, aged 34(Image: Merseyside Police)
A drug dealer’s cocaine use spiralled after he was stabbed in the head with a machete and led him back to prison. Thomas Jardine’s fingerprints were found on a haul of crack cocaine which was seized by police from his co-defendant Keith O’Callaghan.
The latter was pulled over by officers for routine checks, but his “nervous” demeanour led to the “shaking” driver’s secret stash of illicit class A substances being uncovered. However, the courier was spared the same fate and walked free from court today.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday that police patrols began to tail a car being driven by O’Callaghan at around 12.45am on January 10 last year. When the vehicle then stopped on Liscard Road in Wallasey, Wirral, the 59-year-old, of Mill Lane in Liscard, exited carrying a rucksack.
Henry Riding, prosecuting, described how he was asked to sit in the rear of the police car while officers carried out documentation checks. O’Callaghan however “appeared nervous and shaking” and was suspected of driving under the influence of drugs.
Having been arrested, he then “appeared unduly keen” for the rucksack to be returned to his vehicle, prompting PCs to look inside. There, they discovered a blue plastic bag which contained a total of 206 wraps of crack cocaine weighing 26.9g.
Jardine’s fingerprints were subsequently discovered on the packaging, with the 34-year-old, of Chapelhill Road in Moreton, maintaining that his role was limited to the “bagging up” of the drugs in order to fund his own addiction. His criminal record shows 10 convictions for 14 offences, including receiving 51 weeks for supplying cocaine in 2011 and five years for attempted possession of a prohibited weapon in 2016.
Lahraib Iqbal, defending, said on his behalf: “He endured a difficult upbringing. His father died when he was four, and his mother was sectioned when he was 14. Throughout his childhood, she was, and still is, dependant on alcohol.
“He left school with very few qualifications and began using cannabis as a young teenager. The pre-sentence report sets out diagnoses of ADHD, anxiety and depression, and he is undergoing an assessment for a borderline personality disorder.
“Despite this, Mr Jardine has been in various paid employment over the years. In 2018, he suffered a severe injury to the head when he was stabbed with a machete. He suffered PTSD and was unable to work for a prolonged period of time. This exacerbated his cocaine use.
“He has no longer been using cocaine for over 12 months. He has done this without professional help by attending church and changing his circle. He is now employed again as a roofer. He is the primary care giver to his elderly mother. She is currently not mobile.
“He tells me that he is now off cocaine and is dependant on cannabis. He is extremely remorseful. He has turned his life around. He does suffer with his mental health and is the primary carer for his mother. He is still in work and, therefore, can provide back to his community.”
O’Callaghan meanwhile says that he transported the bag without knowing its contents in return for drugs and only did so on one occasion. He has three previous convictions for five offences, relating to a breach of bail in 2004 and possession of class A drugs and driving offences in 2024.
Joanne Maxwell, appearing for O’Callaghan, told the court: “He has been out of trouble since this offence. He has a limited previous conviction history. He no longer uses cannabis.
“He aims to get back into work. He is somebody who has worked previously. He has mobility issues in respect of his hips, but aims to contribute to society going forward. He is thoroughly embarrassed and does not wish to trouble these courts again in the future. He is in a supportive, loving relationship.”
Appearing in the dock wearing a black coat, Jardine pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine with intent to supply and was jailed for 27 months. O’Callaghan, who wore a short sleeved check shirt, admitted the same charge and was handed a 24-month imprisonment suspended for two years.
Sentencing, Judge David Swinnerton told Jardine: “You are the younger of the two, but, despite that, you have the more serious criminal record. You have a previous conviction for supplying class A drugs in 2011.
“While that is quite a while ago, it still aggravates matters, as does the fact that, in 2016, you received a five-year sentence for attempting to possess a handgun, which you were going to look after on behalf of somebody else. You have a history of assisting others higher up the chain in more serious offending.
“I have read your pre-sentence report with care. There are matters that concern me. Firstly, you indicate that you have given up class A drugs. Whether or not that is true, I do not know, but you are still using cannabis regularly and have no intention or desire to give that up.
“A further concern is the fact that you would not give full details of where you are living. You are living across two addresses, and you did not give the author of the pre-sentence report details of the second address.
“A delay is sometimes a matter which can be to your credit, but you cannot say that you have not offended in the intervening period, because you are about to be sentenced by the magistrates’ on August 5 for a domestic assault. You cannot say that you have kept out of trouble in the intervening months.
“On the other side of the scale, you have your issues. For example, ADHD and the fact that your mother is in ill health and benefits from your assistance and care. I am concerned with your continued drug use and lack of desire to change.”
Turning to O’Callaghan, the judge added: “I have some concerns. I do wonder just how honest you are being about your drug use. Where I differentiate you from Mr Jardine is that you have stayed out of trouble, and your criminal record is a much lesser one.”
O’Callaghan was also given a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 30 days and an electronically-monitored curfew from 8pm to 8am. This will be lifted for three days during August in order to allow him to go on holiday to a friend’s caravan in Wales.