Rhys accused's DNA 'was on bike'

Rhys was shot outside The Fir Tree pub in Croxteth

DNA samples from the teenager accused of murdering Rhys Jones matched those taken from the bicycle used by the gunman, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Rhys Jones's killer fled from the Fir Tree pub in Croxteth Park, Liverpool, on a silver Specialized Hardrock mountain bike, the jury was told.

A bike frame found six months later had the same serial number as a bike owned by Sean Mercer, the jury heard.

Mr Mercer, 18, of Good Shepherd Close, Croxteth, Liverpool, denies murder.

The teenager had got a satin silver Specialized Hardrock mountain bike in April 2007 after his previous bike had been stolen.

Police got another of the Hardrock bikes and asked a forensic specialist to compare it with CCTV images of the gunman escaping the murder scene, said Neil Flewitt QC, prosecuting.

Those facts, we suggest, provide compelling evidence that Sean Mercer was the person who shot Rhys Jones Neil Flewitt QC, prosecuting

Officers also asked for the serial number from the insurance company that had provided Mr Mercer's mountain bike.

"[The forensic specialist] couldn't find any difference" said Mr Flewitt.

Images of the bike were released to the media, which led to Liverpool resident Leslie Shimmin realising he had found the frame near an industrial unit in Kirkby used by the co-accused Melvin Coy, 25.

Mr Flewitt said: "It will, perhaps, come as no surprise to you to learn that the serial number of the silver Specialized Hardrock mountain bike found by Mr Shimmin in Kirkby is the same as the serial number of the Specialized Hardrock mountain bike supplied to Sean Mercer in April 2007."

He added that DNA swabs taken from Mr Mercer also matched DNA on the bicycle, which had been hidden under a bush less than 250 yards from the unit.

Mr Flewitt said that Mr Mercer and several of his co-accused allegedly visited the site hours after Rhys's murder.

Gun tests

"Those facts, we suggest, provide compelling evidence that Sean Mercer was the person who shot Rhys Jones," he added.

Earlier, the court heard that the bullet which killed Rhys produced a "keyhole effect" on his body which was replicated by forensic tests on a .455 Smith and Wesson recovered by police.

Mr Flewitt told the jury this seemed to have been caused because the bullet was undersized by 0.08mm and the rifling of the revolver was worn.

James Yates, 20, of Dodman Road, Croxteth; Gary Kays, 25, of Mallard Close, and Mr Coy, 24, of Abbeyfield Drive, both West Derby, Liverpool, are accused of assisting an offender, along with two youths aged 16 and 17, who cannot be identified.

The sixth accused person, another 17-year-old youth, also denies possessing an illegal firearm and ammunition.

The trial continues.