Rhys accused in killers' company

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The teenager accused of killing Rhys Jones was stopped by police while with two gang members later convicted of another murder, a court has heard.

Sean Mercer, 18, was stopped by police using anti-social behaviour powers between 2004 and 2006, Liverpool Crown Court was told.

During these stops Mr Mercer was with a pair convicted of the murder of a member of a rival gang.

Rhys was gunned down on 22 August 2007 as he returned from football practice.

The court was told the pair who Mr Mercer accompanied were members of the so-called Crocky Crew, who were later found guilty of the murder of Liam Smith outside Altcourse Prison in 2006.

Mr Mercer was a member of the rival gang the Nogger Dogs, the court heard.

Mr Mercer, of Good Shepherd Close, is accused of being the gunman who shot dead 11-year-old Rhys in the car park of the Firtree pub in Croxteth.

The court heard he was found with sketches of a gun while on remand.

Anne Whyte, prosecuting, said Mr Mercer had sketches of a hand grenade, a pump-action shotgun and two cartridges when he was stopped in the prison reception.

Wheel brace attack

Six others are also on trial, accused of assisting an offender.

They are James Yates, 20, of Dodman Road; Nathan Quinn, of Wickett Close, both Croxteth; Gary Kays, 25, of Mallard Close and Melvin Coy, 24, of Abbeyfield Drive, both West Derby, Liverpool, along with Boy M, 16, and Boy K, 17, who cannot be named.

On Monday the jury heard that Mr Quinn, 18, admitted being a member of the Crocky Crew the month before Rhys was killed.

Outlining the hatred between the two north Liverpool gangs, Miss Whyte told the court Mr Quinn was shot when he was 14 but refused to tell police who did it.

Rhys was shot outside The Fir Tree pub in Croxteth

Miss Whyte cited other examples of defendants being targeted, including an occasion when 20-year-old defendant Mr Yates was attacked with a wheel brace.

"James Yates gave brief details to the police but refused to name his attacker," added Miss Whyte.

In another incident which went unreported to police, the defendant Boy M was beaten by males wearing balaclavas in February 2005, the court heard.

The same defendant was arrested three months later after a man was shot in the face when he went to investigate who had stolen his van.

The jury heard that Boy M "grassed" Crocky Crew members involved in the shooting to police.

A year later, the windows of Boy M's house were smashed, the prosecution said.

The court heard before Rhys was killed two other shootings happened in the Firtree pub car park.

The first was in May 2005 when Wayne Brady - a member of another group, the Strand Gang, and one of the alleged targets when Rhys was shot - was targeted.

He too refused to cooperate with police.

In November 2006 Mr Brady was with three girls in the car park when someone shouting "Crocky Crew" and shots were fired.

Miss Whyte said there were more than 17 shootings and 70 acts of criminal damage between the two gangs between 2004 and 2008.