Rhys murder accused can be named

Rhys Jones was shot in the neck as he crossed the car park

A teenager charged with murdering schoolboy Rhys Jones can be named for the first time as Sean Mercer.

The accused, of Good Shepherd Close, Croxteth, Liverpool, has turned 18 and loses the legal protection which bans publication of the names of juveniles.

He has denied murder and is set to face trial next month, along with six others, in connection with the shooting in August 2007 of 11-year-old Rhys.

The schoolboy died after being shot as he walked home from football practice.

James Yates, 20, of Dodman Road, Croxteth; Gary Kays, 25, of Mallard Close, and Melvin Coy, 24, of Abbeyfield Drive, both West Derby, Liverpool, are accused alongside two boys aged 16 and 17, who cannot be identified.

All have been charged with assisting an offender.

The sixth, another 17-year-old boy, has been charged with assisting an offender and possessing an illegal firearm and ammunition.

In separate proceedings connected to the case, Mr Mercer's mother Janette, 48, of Good Shepherd Close, Croxteth, is charged with perverting the course of justice alongside the parents of accused James Yates - 48-year-old Francis and Marie Yates, 50, of Dodman Road, and James Hughes, 22, of Willow Way, both Croxteth.