Rhys weapon 'was hidden in loft'

A 17-year-old has described how the gun allegedly used to kill Rhys Jones was hidden in the loft of his house.

The jury at Liverpool Crown Court was shown police interviews with the youth, who has been given immunity from prosecution and cannot be identified.

The court has already heard how he was given the pistol by alleged killer Sean Mercer 20 minutes after Rhys was shot in Croxteth Park, Liverpool.

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

The jury watched on Wednesday as the witness told police he took the gun, which was wrapped in carrier bags, and hid it in a dog kennel at his home.

'Move it'

On Thursday, more interviews were played in which the teenager said that five days after the killing, Boy K - who is accused of assisting an offender - came to his house and asked for the gun.

"He said, 'I've come to move that'," the witness said.

"I said, 'go on then move it. I don't want to be involved in any of this'.

"He said he was going to put it in my loft and I said, 'no you're not, I don't want anything to do with it. I'm not getting involved in all of this'.

"I don't really think I talked back. I was shaking when he called me"
Prosecution witness

"He climbed up into the loft. I could hear some rustling. Then he came down and left."

The witness told police he found out about the killing while chatting with friends on internet service MSN, after Mr Mercer had given him the gun.

The next time he heard from Mr Mercer was about a month later when his home was raided by police while he was on holiday.

He said Mr Mercer rang his mobile phone and said: "Your door's been kicked in."

He ignored subsequent calls from the defendant but answered a call on Christmas Day from a number he did not recognise, which was Mr Mercer.

He said: "I thought he was going to be saying things like, 'where do you live now?' and, 'you best not grass on me'.

"But he wasn't. I don't know whether he was trying to talk nice in case the police could hear the conversation."

Teenager 'shaking'

The witness said Mr Mercer then asked about the health of his mother and to tell her "he was sorry".

"He said, 'don't think they're following you because they're not'."

"I don't really think I talked back. I was shaking when he called me."

Asked by the interviewing officer why he was shaking, the teenager replied: "I was just shocked. I thought he would have been phoning me to say horrible stuff and I was asking myself, why is he saying that?"

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, are accused of assisting an offender along with Boy M, 16, and Boy K, 17, who cannot be named.

All six deny the charges. The trial continues.

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