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A gangster who armed the killer of Rhys Jones had his sentence almost doubled by the Court of Appeal today.
James Yates, 21, originally jailed for seven years, was part of the gang who smirked at their Liverpool crown court sentences.
But Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice, increased his jail term to 12 years after the Solicitor General, Vera Baird QC, appealed on the basis it was "unduly lenient". Lord Judge hit out at the "modern pestilence" of gun crime and said criminals supplying guns had to face severe custodial terms.
Rhys, 11, was shot dead in August 2007 in a Liverpool pub car park. His parents Stephen and Melanie Jones - who called the original sentence "disgusting" - were at today's hearing.
Croxteth Crew gang member Yates was sentenced in January for possession of a firearm and assisting Rhys's killer, Sean Mercer, 18, by helping dump the gun and his clothing.
Reader views (4)
12 years? But how much time will he actually spend
locked-up? 6? 8? It will not be 12 that's for certain -
the Criminal Rights Brigade will see to that. Almost
no one serves their full sentence in soft-touch bonkers
Britain.
- Lb, Bromley, 29/10/2009 02:42
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Pity it'll be knocked back to 6 years routinely, but that's better than the 3 1/2 it would have been. Still, it's a step in the right direction.
- Rogan, Irving, 28/10/2009 17:34
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Good!
- Andy, London, 28/10/2009 15:51
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Brilliant, wonderful news, I bet that has wiped the smirk off that thugs face!
More of the same please for the rest of the scum out there.
- Mark Myword, London, 28/10/2009 14:54
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