Rhys Jones murder - How killers were caught and where they are now 16 years on
A gang member who helped conceal the murder of Rhys Jones was found dead inside a house following a drug-related death this year.
Dean Kelly was one of eleven people who were jailed for the shooting of the school boy, but where are the rest of them now?
It has been 16 years since Rhys Jones, 11, was ruthlessly gunned down as he crossed the Croxteth Fir Tree pub car park in Liverpool on August 22, 2007. He had been caught in the crossfire between two criminal gangs. Sean Mercer, a member of the so-called Croxteth Crew, had meant to aim at rival Wayne Brady, of the Norris Green Strand Gang, but fatally shot Rhys instead.
Dean Kelly was found dead at a house this week (Liverpool Echo)Dean Stephen Kelly helped Sean Mercer cover up the shooting. He was sentenced to four years in jail in 2009 after he stashed the weapon in his loft. However, he was back in custody less than a year later after breaching his parole. It was revealed yesterday at an inquest, that Kelly was found dead in a property in Scotland on April 6 this year. The inquest explained that the 31-year-old was found with a variety of drugs including cocaine in his system. The medical cause of death was ruled as intoxication and coronary heart disease, reports Liverpool Echo.
A total of 11 people were locked up for their role in the murder of Rhys Jones. Their combined sentence equalled 61 years and six months. Below we have explored where the rest of the criminals involved are today:
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Sean Mercer is still in prison
Sean Mercer is still in prison (PA Archive/Press Association Ima)Sean Mercer remains behind bars. He was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in jail after he fatally shot the 11-year-old. He was 18 years old at the time of the sentencing, however, he was just 16 when he committed the crime.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Mercer had a “determination to kill” on the day of the shooting. He fired three bullets in total, one of them was fired after seeing the schoolboy drop to the ground.
Janette Mercer
Janette Mercer was recently jailed again (Merseyside Police)Sean Mercer's mother, Janette Mercer, was handed a three-year prison sentence in 2009 for perverting the course of justice. She lied to police when they questioned her about the bikes Sean owned. Sean arrived to the scene of the crime on a bike.
Janette, now 63, was released from prison but landed herself in jail again at Liverpool Crown Court in February this year. It comes after she helped another one of her kids, Joseph Mercer, to remain at large while he was wanted for dealing drugs. She allowed the fugitive to live with her and lied to the police about his whereabouts.
James Yates is walking free
James Yates was given a seven-year sentence (PA)James Yates was issued a seven-year sentence for supplying the gun that was used to kill Rhys. He was also jailed for helping cover up the shooting. His sentence was increased to 12 years after his case was referred to the Court of Appeal, who agreed that the sentence was inadequate. In 2014, he was released before serving less than half of his sentence. However, two years after he was arrested again after being linked to drug offences in Scotland.
He breached his licence and returned to jail. However, both Yates and Kelly were cleared of running a drug ring. Yates was let free in 2018 after he persuaded the authorities that he was no longer a risk to society. But the following years he was back behind bars again for another licence breach. He was released in 2020. Because his original 12-year sentence had expired, he was allowed to return to the Croxteth area as he was no longer banned.
Francis and Marie Yates
Marie and Francis Yates attempted to pervert the course of justice (PA)Yates' parents were also sentenced for perverting the course of justice as they demolished potential evidence and concealed information from the authorities.
His mother, Marie, was given an 18-month prison sentence in 2009 and his father, Francis, was handed four and a half years. Their son James is said to have “broke down in tears” when he was told his parents had been locked up.
Nathan Quinn
Nathan Quinn was already serving a sentence (PA)Nathan Quinn, 18, was imprisoned for two years for helping Sean Mercer dispose of the gun and clothes. He was already serving a five-year sentence linked to gun crime, at the time of his sentencing. He served his two-year sentence once he completed his current prison term in 2010. He denied his involvement with the disposal of the evidence. Quinn was released from prison in 2011 and was prohibited from visiting areas in Croxteth.
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Judge Irwin, told him on the day of sentencing: “It is folly you are in denial. Your aggression levels are clearly high. You have nine proven adjudications against you in prison. Six of them for fighting or assault. There is at least some chance you will learn from your experiences here.”
Melvin Coy
Melvin Coy was jailed (PA)Melvin Coy was also issued a seven-year sentence in Jail. The 32-year-old gave Mercer information about the rival gang member and even drove him to Kirkby after the fatal shooting, where they covered him in petrol to remove the gunshot residue.
Coy was also released on licence in 2011, after serving less than half of his sentence. But he was arrested three years later after he allegedly handled a stolen car that the police had been following. He was released on bail but was later jailed for 12 months for handling stolen goods.
Gary Kays
Gary Kays phoned Sean Mercer about the rival gang (PA)Gary Kays, now in his 30s, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2008 for assisting an offender. He phoned Sean Mercer and urged him to confront the rival gang on the day of the shooting. It was reported that he was also an accomplice to Melvin Coy when they picked up Mercer after the shooting.
Despite being in prison, Kays was able to father a child behind bars and was granted permission to be with his girlfriend as she gave birth to his second child. He was released on licence some days later, but he was locked up again in 2013 for three years and five months after being linked to a drugs operation.
Boy M
Boy M, who was 16 at the time of the murder, was given a two-year supervision order and a four-month curfew for assisting an offender. The unnamed teen has attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, and was previously beaten up by his gang mates for “grassing”.
Following the attack, he became a recluse and had not left the house for two years. He did not join his co-accused in the dock while his mother gave evidence. Boy M’s mother, referred to as Ms M, claimed that Mercer came to their home on the evening of the shooting, closely followed by James Yates and Nathan Quinn.
Audio from a bugging device in Boy M’s house captured Marie Thompson, Nathan Quinn’s mother, yelling at Boy M’s mum, who was a prosecution witness. Thompson has told her to say the three alleged gang members had not been at her home but actually visited the day before. The court heard Mercer, Quinn and Yates all reportedly headed to Boy M’s home after the shooting and went straight to the teen's bedroom. They reportedly left two mountain bikes in the hallway.
James Hughes
James Hughes was issued a short prison sentence (Daily Mirror)James Hughes, 22, was not a member of the gang, however, he was jailed for six months after providing Boy M with a pretend alibi in 2009.
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