Nine-year-old pal pays tribute to murdered Rhys as thousands flock to vigil

He was so small he had to stand on a chair to reach the microphone.

But when he did, the simple words Lewis Ainscough had to say yesterday made a big impact.

Speaking at a memorial service to Rhys Jones, the nine-year-old summed up the shock and pain his friend's murder had caused.

Dressed in his Liverpool football kit, he read out a prayer to the hundreds who attended the service at Liverpool's Croxteth Hall and Country Park.

Rhys's parents Melanie, 41, and Stephen, 44, lit a candle in memory of their son.

The couple, with Rhys's brother Owen, 17, sat silently during the 45-minute service.

Lewis's words of prayer summed up the feelings of sadness and sympathy expressed by those at the service. He said: "Heavenly Father, we are sad this afternoon because someone we knew well and liked very much has died.

"We don't often think about people dying, especially when they are very young, so this has been a great shock to us.

"We believe that Rhys has gone to be with You. But that means that he is not with us any longer, which makes us sad.

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"Help us to remember all the good and happy things about him, and please comfort all who are unhappy. Amen."

A small stage was constructed outside the main entrance to the hall with an image of 11-year-old Rhys above it.

The youngster died after suffering a single gunshot wound to the neck as he walked home from football practice on August 22.

Local residents brought their children to the ceremony, many in the red and blue strips of the city's two football clubs. Usually bitter rivals, they were united in a shared sense of sympathy.

There was also a direct appeal to Rhys's killer to come forward and give himself up to police.

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Murder squad detectives have made a total of 16 arrests in connection with the Rhys inquiry but all have been released. Eleven people have been bailed, with a further five released without charge.

Rhys's funeral will be held on Thursday and his family invited all the city's wellwishers to attend. Thousands are expected to line the streets as his hearse draws past Goodison Park to Liverpool's Anglican cathedral.