Mercer Gang Members Sentenced

Three gang members who helped the killer of Rhys Jones cover his tracks, have today been jailed.

James Yates, 20, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to seven years in prison, Dean Kelly, 17, four years and Nathan Quinn, 18, to two years.

Meanwhile, the Croxteth Crew gang member, Boy M, 16 - who cannot be identified because of his age - was given a two-year suspension order with a four month 7pm to 7am curfew for assisting an offender.

Sean Mercer was convicted last month of the murder of Rhys Jones following a nine-week trial.

Yates, of Dodman Road, Quinn, of Wickett Close, Kelly, of Sword Walk, and Boy M were found guilty of assisting an offender along with fellow Croxteth Crew members Gary Kays, 26, and Melvin Coy, 25.

They all denied the charges.

Mercer was jailed for a minimum of 22 years for shooting the 11-year-old in the car park of the Fir Tree public house in August 2007.

The court heard that immediately after the shooting, Mercer, now 18, cycled to the homes of Boy M, where the cover-up plan was hatched.

But detectives had bugged the homes of Boy M and another of the group, James Yates and gathered damning audio evidence.

Meanwhile, a newspaper has paid a "substantial" sum to a student after it claimed she referred to Mercer as a 'hero'.

Kelly Marshall, 18, from Liverpool, accepted undisclosed libel damages after the Daily Star also wrongly accused her of being a member of the Croxteth Crew gang.

Her solicitor, Helen Morris, confirmed the money would be going to the Rhys Jones Memorial trust.

Ms Morris told Mr Justice Eady at London's High Court that the student was "very distressed" by the article, which appeared on the newspaper's website.

She said: "The truth is, contrary to the article, the claimant did not make any public statement following the conviction of Sean Mercer,” adding her client has "never been a member of the Croxteth Crew or any other gang" and she has never been Sean Mercer's girlfriend.

(JM/BMcC)