Gang members jailed for more than 135 years call officer 'little rat' in shocking stand off

Footage shot on a bodycam on the officer's uniform shows a heated stand off between an unnamed officer and three members of a gang who were jailed for more than 135 years this week.

The officer stands firm as John Mangan, Edward Murphy, and William Summerill question him for stopping them.

They claim they have been at a funeral all day as they angrily confront the officer.

On Tuesday, they were jailed alongside 16 others for their roles in a drugs gang in Liverpool.

One of the members said: "I'll tell you what to do, leave now.

"You're coming here disturbing people, we've been to a funeral all day."

He then pulls out his own phone and starts filming him.

As he leaves the scene, the man shouts: "Look at you, you little rat.

"You little fat mutt. You little rat."

The officer remains calm, even telling him to come back to say it to him.

The incident was captured in Tuebrook, Liverpool, in 2015. The Liverpool Echo reports it was part of a routine stop and search.

It was released after the gang members pleaded guilty, following the charges in Operation Scarva.

Detective Superintendent Lee Turner said the intimidation of officers is not a new phenomenon, but added mobile phones had changed the way suspects may attempt to get out of a tricky spot.

He said: “The tactic is more prevalent because of mobile phones. What they are doing is, not only are they filming to see if the officer makes a mistake as a police officer, they will then upload that footage to YouTube for all their mates to say ‘yeah, I made a fool of the officer’.”

He said the hostility was an attempt to get them away from the situation, with those who confront officers often believing “attack is the best form of defence”.

The three brazen and arrogant thugs were part of a network of 19 in Anfield, which peddled heroin and cocaine. Police caught them through Operation Scarva .

The gang used a system of couriers and dealers - in some cases vulnerable youngsters - to peddle Class A drugs and had associates who stockpiled guns that could be used to scare off rivals.

Led by Edward Murphy, Jamie Jarvis and Steven Harrison, the ruthless enterprise was rooted around Anfield.

Supplied by Francis Fearon - whose connections allowed him to offer cocaine with purity as high as 88% - the thugs dominated the Anfield and Walton drugs market while spreading their web of influence from Lancashire to Devon.

The illicit operation, protected by violence and intimidation, came to the attention of police following a spate of shootings and anti-social behaviour in north Liverpool around 2015.