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Chip shop thug filmed snorting cocaine from barrel of sawn-off shotgunA notorious video clip filmed in his bedroom resulted in him being convicted of a firearms offenceCommentsNewsAdam

Everett Crown Court Reporter17:58, 01 Jun 2025Footage seized from the iPhone showed the sawn-off shotgun lying on a bed in Adam Mercer's bedroom, with a line of white powder seen on the

barrel A thug was filmed snorting cocaine from the barrel of a sawn-off shotgun. Adam Mercer was put back behind bars this week after flying into a rage and pulling a knife on his friend

while apparently accusing him of stealing a parcel from his mum.

The episode resulted in the latest entry on his extensive criminal record, which most notably features a firearms offence in connection with a notorious video clip filmed in his bedroom. His

brushes with the law also include a violent altercation at a chip shop which saw a toddler bundled over the counter for his own safety.

‌ Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday that Mercer's mum Deborah McDowell arrived back at her home on Cullen Avenue on April 8 this year in Bootle following a shopping trip to find her

son and an unnamed "associate" in her living room. The 31-year-old, of Worcester Road, was previously handed a restraining order in October 2023 which prevented him from having contacting

with his mother or entering her street.

‌ But Jonathan Keane, prosecuting, described how, when she questioned his presence at the scene, the defendant merely told her "don't get the police". Mercer briefly left around half an hour

later but then returned with a third male a short time afterwards.

He was then said to have become "animated and aggressive" in the kitchen following an "allegation that a parcel belonging to his mother had been taken". This led to him arming himself with a

Stanley knife from a work surface, at which stage a "frightened" Ms McDowell retreated to her bedroom and called the police.

She thereafter recalled hearing "shouting and screaming" from downstairs. Mercer subsequently went to her room before fleeing the address upon learning that she had contacted the emergency

services, apparently discarding of the weapon in the street before being arrested.

Article continues below His criminal record shows a total of 42 previous convictions for 72 offences, including six previous breaches of the same restraining order. He also has a previous

entry for possession of a bladed article in a public place in 2010.

The ECHO previously reported that Mercer was jailed for three years in 2016 after footage of him snorting cocaine off a shotgun was discovered on the iPhone of then 19-year-old Malcolm

Graham. The clip led to both men and another teenager, 18-year-old Lewis Clarke, being convicted of a string of firearms offences.

The video in question showed the sawn-off shotgun lying on a bed in Mercer's bedroom, with a line of white powder seen on the barrel. The then 22-year-old was thereafter pictured snorting

the substance.

‌ A teenage Graham was handed 11-and-a-half years in a young offenders' institute after filming himself firing the pistol which was used to shoot 17-year-old Kevin Wilson dead in Wavertree

in February 2015, although none of the three were said to have any involvement in his murder. Clarke, who shot at the porch window of a friend's house amid a row over cigarettes, was

meanwhile locked up for seven years.

Graham was however further charged with a subsequent attack on Mercer after the two fell out over the firearms offences. This saw him attend his co-defendant's address and call him a "little

rat", adding: "Why have you been swerving me?"

Mercer was then punched in the face, causing "loose teeth and a large laceration". He also fell to be sentenced over a separate violent altercation which saw him and an accomplice punching

and kicking the windows, one of which was left shattered, of a busy fish and chip shop on Aintree Road in Bootle as their intended victim attempted to keep the door to the premises shut.

‌ CCTV footage showed a three-year-old boy being lifted to safety over the counter and sheltered by takeaway staff as the incident unfolded. Mercer's counsel stated that he had only handled

the shotgun "momentarily" and was "acting up" on camera, labelling the video "the biggest mistake he ever made".

Adam Mercer jailed for three years for gun and violent crime offences. Jeremy Rawson, defending, told the court during his most recent appearance: "He looks to his mother for support.

Regrettably, he also uses drugs. Clearly, these particular factors, put together, make his conduct unpleasant and, at times, intolerable.

‌ "His mother says that, if he has assistance, then he could be rehabilitated. That is not going to happen without some input from him. He is not taking drugs. He has turned his back on

that. He has got a job work in prison radio and has shown a certain skill working in that. That is something he could perhaps establish a career in.

"He is remorseful. He regrets what has taken place. He is anxious, once he is released, to set himself right. He has one child from a previous relationship. He does not have contact with

her, but he would like to in the future. He is making some positive steps to try and find some occupation that will keep him away from drugs."

Mercer admitted making threats with a bladed article in a private place, possession of a bladed article in a public place and breaching a restraining order. Appearing via video link to HMP

Liverpool wearing a navy blue Montirex t-shirt, he was jailed for 14 months and handed a new three-year restraining order.

‌Adam Mercer(Image: Merseyside Police) Sentencing, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "As far as she was concerned, and she has got every right to be suspicious, you had the appearance of all

being intoxicated by drugs. Some dispute arose between you and one or another of the associates you were with.

"You picked up a knife. There was some incident which your mother was not able to see. She could only listen to the sound of screaming, because she fled upstairs, frightened, and called the

police.

Article continues below "Your mother has urged an element of leniency on your behalf, pointing out that your Achilles heel is drug abuse and that if that were cured you could be an entirely

proper person. This is now the seventh time that you have been back before the court for breaching the current order. It is a none ending pattern of breaching court orders in one form or

another."