Posted on the 5th June 2026 in PHTM News

FORMER LIVERPOOL NAVY VET TURNED CABBIE JAILED FOR LAUNCHING STREET DEALING COCAINE OPERATION

A debt-riddencabbie has been jailed for 28 months after police caught him holding thousands of pounds worth of cocaine between his legs in Liverpool city centre.

Warren Childs, a 45-year-old father of three from West Derby, turned to class A drug dealing after accumulating around £30,000 in debt. The former merchant navy veteran had faced mounting financial pressure, including a sudden £4,500 bill to make his Mercedes taxi roadworthy and an £8,000 tax debt.

During a police stop on Renshaw Street, officers spotted Childs with his hands between his legs; he subsequently surrendered a handful of cash from one hand and wraps of high-purity cocaine from the other.

A later search of his car and home uncovered more cocaine and a small bag of cannabis, totalling up to £2,160 in street value, alongside £1,270 in cash.

Text messages found on Childs' iPhone revealed he had been running his own independent drug dealing operation for about a month prior to his arrest.

Defence barrister Julian Nutter described the situation as a "complete nightmare" brought on by desperation and exhaustion, emphasising that Childs had spent 23 years serving in the merchant navy before making a "big mistake" to support his family.

"He was working all hours the lord sends," Nutter told the court. "He could not make enough money legitimately. Of course, it is no excuse that what he did was went onto the streets, dealing drugs as a street dealer.

"The whole thing has been a complete nightmare for him."

Nutter argued that Childs had since completely turned his life around by working in a glazing business, showing deep remorse and proving he was not a danger to the public.

Despite acknowledging Childs' previous good character and the harmful impact prison would have on his school-aged children, Judge Anil Murray ruled that the offence was too severe for a suspended sentence.

The judge noted that Childs made a deliberate, business-minded choice to sell class A drugs for personal financial gain.

"You have led a useful and productive life. It is sad for me to have to sentence someone like you, but what you have done is really serious," Judge Murray said during sentencing.

"Class A drugs cause misery in our society. You decided to start off your own class A drug dealing business so that you would be financially better off. I cannot suspend this sentence."


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