Murder of Rhys Jones
Encyclopedia
The murder of Rhys Milford Jones (27 September 1995 – 22 August 2007) occurred in Liverpool
, England, when he was shot in the back. An 18-year-old youth, Sean Mercer, went on trial on 2 October 2008 and was convicted of murder on 16 December 2008.
) and Melanie Jones (born in Wrexham
) (née
Edwards). They have an older son, Owen, who was born in 1990.
Jones, who would have turned 12 a month after his death, had just left Broad Square Primary School on the Norris Green
housing estate
, and was due to start secondary school at Fazakerley High School in September 2007. His headteacher and neighbours said that Jones was a friendly, popular boy, and loved football.
, Liverpool
, a hooded youth riding a silver mountain bike
approached. He then held out a handgun
at arm's length firing three shots. It was originally believed that one of the shots hit Jones in the neck, however during the trial the pathologist revealed the bullet had entered his back "slightly above the left shoulder blade" and that it had then "exited from the front right side of his neck". The shooting occurred in daylight at 7.30 pm BST.
Jones' mother rushed to the scene when she heard what had happened. By the time his mother had reached him, Jones was unconscious. Paramedics tried for one and a half hours to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead some time later in Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital
.
Local radio station Radio City 96.7's programming on the night of the incident, in particular the 10pm – 2am Pete Price show which changed its scheduling, was dedicated to an amnesty for witnesses and a talk on gun crime. Radio City
also launched their anti-gun-crime campaign, In Rhys's Name Get Guns Off Our Streets after the incident, later backed by Jones' parents.Details
The police appealed to the public for information, stating that they needed help in finding those who committed the crime. The murder weapon was described as a black handgun with a long barrel. More than 300 officers and gun crime specialists were deployed in the hunt for Jones's killer.
Jones' parents made a fresh appeal for witnesses to come forward on 19 September – four weeks after Jones' murder, which was reconstructed on Crimewatch
on 26 September, with Jones' mother appealing directly to the murderer's mother to turn her son in. It led to 12 people calling into the programme giving police the same name. Despite reports that the killer's name was widely known and had appeared on internet sites and in graffiti, police continued their appeal for witnesses to come forward.
On 15 April 2008, Merseyside police confirmed 11 people (all aged between 17 and 25) had been arrested in connection with the case. Six more men of a similar age were arrested the next day in connection with the murder: one for murder and the other five for assisting an offender. One of these men had already been charged with possessing a firearm
. All six of them were remanded in custody by Liverpool Magistrates
on 17 April 2008. Another man was charged in connection with the case on 18 April 2008, and remanded the same day.
On 16 December 2008, at the end of a 9-week trial, Sean Mercer, a member of the "Croxteth crew" gang, was convicted of murder. Mercer, aged 18, was sentenced to Life imprisonment
with a recommended minimum term of 22 years which is set to keep him in prison until at least 2030 and the age of 40.
Other gang members James Yates, 20; Nathan Quinn, 18; Gary Kays, 26; and Melvin Coy, 25 as well as Boy 'M', 16 were convicted of assisting an offender and Boy 'K' – Dean Kelly, 17, was convicted of 4 related offences. Gary Kays and Melvin Coy were both sentenced to 7 years. In January, 2009, James Yates was sentenced to 7 years, Dean Kelly to 4 and Nathan Quinn to 2. A 16-year-old was sentenced to a 2-year supervision order. Parents of the gang members, including Janette Mercer, Sean Mercer's mother, and Francis Yates and Marie Yates, the parents of James Yates, were later tried and convicted for perverting the course of justice.
On 28 October 2009, James Yates had his sentence increased to 12 years imprisonment, following a referral to the Court of Appeal by the Solicitor General Vera Baird QC as being "too lenient".
On 2 November 2009, Mercer stabbed Jake Fahri (Jimmy Mizen's murderer), apparently having crafted a makeshift knife from a pair of tweezers.
, and in reaction to this, last year, Merseyside Police
made the area around the pub into a "designated area", meaning that officers could disperse groups and move people away from the area.
The police vehemently stressed that the murder was not gang-related. It is still not clear what the motive was, but a case of mistaken identity is being considered. Jones may have been caught in the 'crossfire' between gangs.
gang
in Croxteth. The murder came the day before the first anniversary of the killing of Liam Smith, an alleged member of a rival gang, the "Norris Green
Strand Crew", who was shot dead by members of the "Croxteth Crew" as he walked out of Altcourse Prison, Liverpool
, on 23 August 2006. The youth gang phenomenon, and youth gangs of Liverpool in particular, drew high media attention after the murder.
, and his father was a season ticket holder. Players of the team laid a floral tribute, football boots and football shirts at the scene of the shooting, and players and fans paid tribute to Rhys in a minute's applause at the home game with Blackburn Rovers, held on Saturday 25 August at Goodison Park
.
After a suggestion from Liverpool Echo
columnist Tony Barrett in his blog
, which was supported by many of its readers, in an unprecedented move arch rivals Liverpool
agreed to play the beginning of the Z-Cars
theme tune Johnny Todd – the song that traditionally greets the arrival of the Everton team onto the Goodison Park pitch – prior to the Liverpool theme tune of You'll Never Walk Alone
ahead of their UEFA Champions League
game with Toulouse
on 28 August. This was followed by a period of applause, and the Liverpool players and staff, Toulouse players and match day officials wore black armbands during the game.
Over 2500 mourners attended Rhys's funeral, which was held in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on 6 September 2007. The family of Rhys issued a public invitation for well-wishers to attend the service. The service was in celebration of Rhys's life and his family had asked that bright clothes, or football strips, be worn by the mourners. During the service, Rhys's father read a poem he had written for his son. Footballer Alan Stubbs
, an Everton defender
, read from the Bible
. After the service there was a private burial.
The Tuebrook Junior Sports League introduced a new trophy to be presented to the Challenge Cup winners in honour of Rhys in May 2008.
In September 2008 four Liverpool songwriters Taylor Bradley featuring Jules released a song called "Angel Child (Song for Rhys)" for the Rhys Jones Memorial Cup Trust Fund.
Liverpool based comedian Dave Longley sparked uproar in September 2007 when he joked in front of an audience that "you think parents would have learnt about putting their children in Everton shirts after Maddie and Rhys", referring to the fact that Rhys had been shot while wearing an Everton shirt – the same type of clothing that British toddler Madeleine McCann had been wearing when she disappeared in Portugal
earlier in 2007.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England, when he was shot in the back. An 18-year-old youth, Sean Mercer, went on trial on 2 October 2008 and was convicted of murder on 16 December 2008.
Background
Jones was the son of Stephen (born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
) and Melanie Jones (born in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
) (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Edwards). They have an older son, Owen, who was born in 1990.
Jones, who would have turned 12 a month after his death, had just left Broad Square Primary School on the Norris Green
Norris Green
Norris Green is a large housing estate and council ward in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 17,784.-History:...
housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
, and was due to start secondary school at Fazakerley High School in September 2007. His headteacher and neighbours said that Jones was a friendly, popular boy, and loved football.
Incident
Jones, who played for The Fir Tree Boys football club, was on his way home from football practice with two friends. As he was crossing the Fir Tree pub car park, on Fir Tree Drive South in the Croxteth Park estateCroxteth
Croxteth is a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council Ward. Although housing in the area is predominantly modern, the suburb has some notable history. It is known locally as "Crocky"...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, a hooded youth riding a silver mountain bike
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
approached. He then held out a handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
at arm's length firing three shots. It was originally believed that one of the shots hit Jones in the neck, however during the trial the pathologist revealed the bullet had entered his back "slightly above the left shoulder blade" and that it had then "exited from the front right side of his neck". The shooting occurred in daylight at 7.30 pm BST.
Jones' mother rushed to the scene when she heard what had happened. By the time his mother had reached him, Jones was unconscious. Paramedics tried for one and a half hours to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead some time later in Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital
Alder Hey Children's Hospital
Alder Hey Children Hospital is a children's hospital in West Derby, Liverpool. It is run by the Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust as part of the National Health Service in England...
.
Local radio station Radio City 96.7's programming on the night of the incident, in particular the 10pm – 2am Pete Price show which changed its scheduling, was dedicated to an amnesty for witnesses and a talk on gun crime. Radio City
Radio City
Radio City can refer to several things:* Radio City , 1974 album by Big Star* Radio City * Radio City 96.7, an independent radio station in Liverpool** Radio City Tower, a radio and observation tower in Liverpool...
also launched their anti-gun-crime campaign, In Rhys's Name Get Guns Off Our Streets after the incident, later backed by Jones' parents.Details
Arrests and investigation
Detectives arrested and later released four people aged between 15 and 19 in connection with the crime. Two further arrests (both of teenagers) were made but both suspects were soon released on bail pending further enquiries.The police appealed to the public for information, stating that they needed help in finding those who committed the crime. The murder weapon was described as a black handgun with a long barrel. More than 300 officers and gun crime specialists were deployed in the hunt for Jones's killer.
Jones' parents made a fresh appeal for witnesses to come forward on 19 September – four weeks after Jones' murder, which was reconstructed on Crimewatch
Crimewatch
Crimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One...
on 26 September, with Jones' mother appealing directly to the murderer's mother to turn her son in. It led to 12 people calling into the programme giving police the same name. Despite reports that the killer's name was widely known and had appeared on internet sites and in graffiti, police continued their appeal for witnesses to come forward.
On 15 April 2008, Merseyside police confirmed 11 people (all aged between 17 and 25) had been arrested in connection with the case. Six more men of a similar age were arrested the next day in connection with the murder: one for murder and the other five for assisting an offender. One of these men had already been charged with possessing a firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
. All six of them were remanded in custody by Liverpool Magistrates
Magistrates Courts, Liverpool
The Magistrates Courts is a court building on Dale Street, Liverpool. It is a Grade II listed building designed by John Weightman built between 1857-1859. Until the 1970s buildings in Great Crosshall Street were used for juvenile court hearings until a new purpose-built complex was opened...
on 17 April 2008. Another man was charged in connection with the case on 18 April 2008, and remanded the same day.
On 16 December 2008, at the end of a 9-week trial, Sean Mercer, a member of the "Croxteth crew" gang, was convicted of murder. Mercer, aged 18, was sentenced to Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
with a recommended minimum term of 22 years which is set to keep him in prison until at least 2030 and the age of 40.
Other gang members James Yates, 20; Nathan Quinn, 18; Gary Kays, 26; and Melvin Coy, 25 as well as Boy 'M', 16 were convicted of assisting an offender and Boy 'K' – Dean Kelly, 17, was convicted of 4 related offences. Gary Kays and Melvin Coy were both sentenced to 7 years. In January, 2009, James Yates was sentenced to 7 years, Dean Kelly to 4 and Nathan Quinn to 2. A 16-year-old was sentenced to a 2-year supervision order. Parents of the gang members, including Janette Mercer, Sean Mercer's mother, and Francis Yates and Marie Yates, the parents of James Yates, were later tried and convicted for perverting the course of justice.
On 28 October 2009, James Yates had his sentence increased to 12 years imprisonment, following a referral to the Court of Appeal by the Solicitor General Vera Baird QC as being "too lenient".
On 2 November 2009, Mercer stabbed Jake Fahri (Jimmy Mizen's murderer), apparently having crafted a makeshift knife from a pair of tweezers.
Gangs
Residents in Jones' locality have said that there have been problems with anti-social behaviourÅsbo
Åsbo can refer to:*Åsbo Northern Hundred, a hundred in Scania*Åsbo Southern Hundred, a hundred in Scania...
, and in reaction to this, last year, Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The force area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million...
made the area around the pub into a "designated area", meaning that officers could disperse groups and move people away from the area.
The police vehemently stressed that the murder was not gang-related. It is still not clear what the motive was, but a case of mistaken identity is being considered. Jones may have been caught in the 'crossfire' between gangs.
Croxteth Crew
Sean Mercer, and the others convicted of involvement in the murder, were known to be members of the "Croxteth Crew" – an active criminalCrime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
in Croxteth. The murder came the day before the first anniversary of the killing of Liam Smith, an alleged member of a rival gang, the "Norris Green
Norris Green
Norris Green is a large housing estate and council ward in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 17,784.-History:...
Strand Crew", who was shot dead by members of the "Croxteth Crew" as he walked out of Altcourse Prison, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, on 23 August 2006. The youth gang phenomenon, and youth gangs of Liverpool in particular, drew high media attention after the murder.
Tributes and public reaction
Rhys was a dedicated supporter of Everton Football ClubEverton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, and his father was a season ticket holder. Players of the team laid a floral tribute, football boots and football shirts at the scene of the shooting, and players and fans paid tribute to Rhys in a minute's applause at the home game with Blackburn Rovers, held on Saturday 25 August at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
.
After a suggestion from Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
columnist Tony Barrett in his blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, which was supported by many of its readers, in an unprecedented move arch rivals Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
agreed to play the beginning of the Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
theme tune Johnny Todd – the song that traditionally greets the arrival of the Everton team onto the Goodison Park pitch – prior to the Liverpool theme tune of You'll Never Walk Alone
You'll Never Walk Alone (song)
"You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel.In the musical, in the second act, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the female protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and encourage Julie when her husband, Billy Bigelow, the...
ahead of their UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
game with Toulouse
Toulouse FC
Toulouse Football Club is a French association football club based in the city of Toulouse. The club was founded in 1970 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Toulouse plays its home matches at the Stadium Municipal located within the city. The first team is managed by...
on 28 August. This was followed by a period of applause, and the Liverpool players and staff, Toulouse players and match day officials wore black armbands during the game.
Over 2500 mourners attended Rhys's funeral, which was held in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on 6 September 2007. The family of Rhys issued a public invitation for well-wishers to attend the service. The service was in celebration of Rhys's life and his family had asked that bright clothes, or football strips, be worn by the mourners. During the service, Rhys's father read a poem he had written for his son. Footballer Alan Stubbs
Alan Stubbs
Alan Stubbs is a retired English footballer who played as a centre back. He was forced to retire from professional football due to a troublesome knee injury on the 20 August 2008. The final match of his career was against Doncaster Rovers on 9 August 2008...
, an Everton defender
Defender
Defender usually refers to a position in association football .Defender or The Defender may also refer to:-Film and television:* The Defender or The Bodyguard from Beijing, a film starring Jet Li...
, read from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. After the service there was a private burial.
The Tuebrook Junior Sports League introduced a new trophy to be presented to the Challenge Cup winners in honour of Rhys in May 2008.
In September 2008 four Liverpool songwriters Taylor Bradley featuring Jules released a song called "Angel Child (Song for Rhys)" for the Rhys Jones Memorial Cup Trust Fund.
Liverpool based comedian Dave Longley sparked uproar in September 2007 when he joked in front of an audience that "you think parents would have learnt about putting their children in Everton shirts after Maddie and Rhys", referring to the fact that Rhys had been shot while wearing an Everton shirt – the same type of clothing that British toddler Madeleine McCann had been wearing when she disappeared in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
earlier in 2007.
External links
- Videos and galleries relating to Rhys Jones's death: Rhys Jones galleries and videos from the Liverpool Daily Post
- Angel Child (Song for Rhys)