Rhys accused can now be named

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Mercer, of Good Shepherd Close, Croxteth, Liverpool, has turned 18 and loses the legal protection which bans publication of the names of juveniles.

Mercer has pleaded not guilty to murder and is expected to stand trial next month along with six others in connection with the shooting in August last year of 11-year-old Rhys.

The youngster died in his mother Melanie's arms after being shot in the neck as he walked home from football practice.

James Yates, 20, of Dodman Road, Croxteth, Gary Kays, 25, of Mallard Close, and Melvin Coy, 24, of Abbeyfield Drive, both West Derby, Liverpool, are accused alongside two boys aged 16 and 17, who cannot be identified.

All have been charged with assisting an offender.

The sixth, another 17-year-old boy, has been charged with assisting an offender and possessing a firearm and ammunition.

In separate proceedings connected to the murder of Rhys, Sean Mercer's mother Janette, 48, of Good Shepherd Close, Croxteth, is charged with perverting the course of justice alongside the parents of accused James Yates, 48-year-old Francis Yates and Marie Yates, 50, of Dodman Road, Croxteth, and James Hughes, 22, of Willow Way, also Croxteth.