Posted on the 19th May 2026 in PHTM News

FORMER CABBIE JAILED FOR DEALING DRUG DEBTS MONTHS AFTER BRUTAL ASSAULT ON TAXI DRIVER

A former taxi driver and "persistent offender" with 14 prior convictions for 28 offences, has been jailed for two years after turning to class A drug dealing.

Kieran McKechnie, 37, of Kirkby, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court after being caught operating in the "Lil T" drugs line to pay off a £1,300 cocaine debt.

The case sheds fresh light on McKechnie’s violent criminal history within the taxi trade, including a terrifying and racially motivated attack on an active cab driver. In November 2019, McKechnie was picked up from a pub by Delta taxi driver Mohammed Ammanulah.

Tension quickly escalated when McKechnie aggressively questioned the driver about his nationality, demanding to know if he was English and asking, "do you think I'm an idiot?".

The confrontation turned violent when McKechnie repeatedly punched Mr Ammanulah while the vehicle was in motion, causing the driver to lose control and hit the accelerator. After the car finally stopped, McKechnie issued a chilling threat, warning the victim: "Let's talk. You're in Kirkby, and around here we will shoot you."

Reflecting on the traumatic assault, Mr Ammanulah later stated that his life would "never be the same after the attack." McKechnie was subsequently jailed for 14 months for the assault and dangerous driving.

McKechnie's own history behind the wheel was equally chaotic. In 2016, while working as a Delta taxi driver, he took his vehicle on a furious two-mile pursuit through Kirkdale and Walton, hitting speeds of up to 80mph after discovering his partner was seeing another man. The high-speed rampage ended when he smashed his Vauxhall Astra into a stationary car and fled the scene.

In his latest court appearance, the defence argued that McKechnie had been forced into dealing heroin and crack cocaine after gang members threatened to burn his mother's house down.

Recorder Mark Bradshaw refused to suspend the prison sentence, telling McKechnie: "The scourge of drug dealing causes misery to families and communities. You have contributed to that by way of your offending."


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