Bernard O’Mahoney (BOM)
Portrayed by: Vinnie Jones
First appearance: Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins (2021)
Based on: Bernard O’Mahoney (born 15 March 1960)
Role in the Films
Bernard O’Mahoney, known by the alias BOM, appears in Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins as a significant figure connected to the world of Essex crime and nightclub security. His position places him at the centre of the volatile scene surrounding the nightclub where he took control of security, bringing him into close contact with the dangerous individuals whose story the Rise of the Footsoldier series chronicles.
Vinnie Jones takes on the role, bringing considerable physical presence to the character.
The Real Bernard O’Mahoney
The real Bernard O’Mahoney is an English author, former soldier, and security professional. After taking control of security at a nightclub, he became closely associated with Tony Tucker, a drug dealer who was killed alongside two others in the case that became known as the Rettendon murders. Those killings form the central event around which the entire Rise of the Footsoldier franchise is built.
O’Mahoney survived the period that claimed the lives of Tucker and his associates, and subsequently channelled his firsthand knowledge into writing. His accounts of the Essex Boys era provided a detailed insider perspective on the crimes, the culture, and the personalities involved. His work as an author has made him one of the more prominent voices documenting that chapter of British criminal history.
His presence in Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins reflects the franchise’s ongoing effort to expand its portrayal of the real figures who populated that world, grounding the dramatised events in documented testimony and lived experience.