Ex-Liverpool FC prodigy facing jail after being unmasked as EncroChat dealer
A former Liverpool FC youth star is facing a long jail sentence after admitting his part in a massive drug conspiracy.
Football prodigy Jamie Cassidy, who played alongside Premier League stars, pleaded guilty to involvement in the racket alongside his brother, Jonathan Cassidy, from Crosby, Merseyside. A third man, Nasar Ahmed, from Bury, also admitted his role. The three were due to stand trial at Manchester Crown Court, but now face sentencing next month, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Jamie Cassidy, now 46, won the FA Youth Cup in 1996 while playing for Liverpool's youth team. His teammates included famous former players like Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen. Despite his promising start, midfielder Cassidy was released from the club without ever making a first-team appearance. He went on to spend one year at senior level at Cambridge United, where he played 10 matches in all competitions, before moving into non-league football.
In his 2008 autobiography, Jamie Carragher mentioned Cassidy "would have been a certain Liverpool regular if he hadn't suffered so much with injuries." Cassidy was arrested following the collapse of the EncroChat network, a communication system used by organised criminals. The details of the case against the Cassidys and Ahmed are yet to be shared in court.
Jamie Cassidy appeared in court via video link on Monday, February 12 from HMP Forest Bank in Salford. The Cassidy brothers and Ahmed all pleaded guilty on the eve of a proposed trial. They have been remanded in custody for more than three years awaiting trial. Jamie Cassidy admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to launder money.
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Judge Nicholas Dean KC, the Honorary Recorder of Manchester, told Jamie Cassidy: “I’m quite sure that after more than three years in custody, your anxiety is to know the sentence that you face. You will not have much longer to wait for that to occur.”
Jonathan Cassidy, 50, from Crosby, pleaded to conspiracy to evade the fraudulent prohibition on importation of class A drugs, conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to launder money. Ahmed, 51, from Bury, admitted the same offences as Jonathan Cassidy. The trio were remanded in custody.
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