Man found 'Rhys suspect' bicycle

The bike was found in bushes the day after the shooting

A mountain bike allegedly owned by the man accused of killing Rhys Jones was found hidden in bushes a day after the shooting, a court has heard.

The Specialized Hardrock cycle, which did not have its wheels, was found by Lesley Shimmin four miles from the Fir Tree pub in Croxteth Park, Liverpool.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Mr Shimmin took it home and left it in his garden until recognising it after an appeal.

Sean Mercer, 18, of Good Shepherd Close in Croxteth, denies murder.

Prosecutors say Rhys, 11, was struck by one of three bullets fired by Mr Mercer across the car park of the pub on 22 August 2007.

Jurors have previously been told the serial number of the bike matched the serial number of a bicycle provided to Mr Mercer by an insurance company to replace a stolen bike.

Mr Shimmin told the jury he was cycling along Arbour Lane, on Kirkby Industrial Estate, last summer when he found the bicycle.

Rhys Jones was shot outside the Fir Tree pub

Questioned by Neil Flewitt QC, prosecuting, he said it had been placed underneath a bush which was behind iron bars at the side of the road.

He said: "It was missing its wheels. It looked like an expensive bike to me. It was in good condition and had the word Specialized on it."

Mr Shimmin was shown CCTV footage of the industrial estate - recorded on 23 August 2007 - and said he recognised himself and his group.

He took the bike home to restore and stored it in his garden until he saw a picture of a similar bike in the Liverpool Echo in February 2008.

The bicycle frame was later brought into court and shown to the jury.

'Old revolver'

James Yates, 20, of Dodman Road and Nathan Quinn, 18, of Wickett Close, both Croxteth; Gary Kays, 25, of Mallard Close and Melvin Coy, 24, of Abbeyfield Drive, both West Derby, Liverpool, are accused of assisting an offender along with Boy M, 16, and Boy K, 17, who cannot be named.

All six deny the charges.

It is the prosecution case that after the shooting Mr Mercer cycled to the home of Boy M where he met with Mr Yates and Mr Quinn.

The gun was found by police who raided the loft of a house in Croxteth

A teenage witness told the jury he collected the mountain bike from Boy M's home and cycled to a local playing field where he played football.

A relative of Mr Mercer's was among those playing football and told police he then took the bicycle to the defendant's home and left it in the porch.

The trial later heard from a forensic scientist specialising in firearms, ammunition and scenes of shooting incidents, Mark Robinson.

Mr Robinson was called by the prosecution to give evidence about the murder weapon.

He said: "It's an old revolver manufactured by Smith and Wesson in the United States.

"It probably dates from about 1915 and is one of a batch brought over by the British Army for use in the First World War."

Prohibited weapon

He said the gun bore the markings of the British military of the period.

Describing two firing methods for the gun, he said it could be fired with as little force as 5lb.

He added: "It would be very easy for someone skilled to fire probably two shots a second."

He said it was in good working order but in poor condition - some of the damage would be consistent with its age.

But he said the cartridge chamber had been drilled to make it longer and enable the gun to fire US-made .455 Colt cartridges.

The jurors were then shown the weapon, contained in a box with a see-through panel at the top, and passed it among themselves.

Mr Robinson said the gun was banned by the Firearms Act of 1968 and again made a prohibited weapon under the 1997 Act.

The jury was also shown a YouTube video, apparently filmed in Croxteth, which showed several weapons, including a Webley revolver and a Smith and Wesson British service revolver similar to the alleged murder weapon.

Mr Robinson said a third weapon shown was a sawn off shot gun, followed by a Russian 7.62 handgun and a .4 10in sawn-off shot gun.

The trial was adjourned until Thursday.