Rhys Jones murder suspect 'named on internet'

Oct 29 2007

The name of a teenage suspect in the murder of gun victim Rhys Jones has been published on the internet, police confirmed today.

The name of the boy appears in a comment listed below a video of local gang members.

Originally published two weeks ago, the message gives the name of the boy, a prime suspect, and says he was responsible for the murder.

The video has been viewed around 9,000 times by visitors to the site, although it is unclear how many people may have seen the suspect’s name.

Detective Superintendent Dave Kelly, the senior investigating officer, said police had no control over the internet although they are making efforts to get the name off the website.

“At the end of the day, what interests me is evidence. This is a meticulous investigation and I don’t deal in speculation.

“It is not enough to have a name, you have to know why that person has been named and make a judgment from there.”

Tonight, officers will make two fresh bids to trace witnesses to the 11-year-old’s murder, carried out by a hooded youth on a mountain bike outside the Fir Tree Pub in Croxteth, Liverpool, on August 22.

A shortened repeat of the reconstruction will feature on tonight’s edition of the BBC’s Crimewatch programme.

And in Croxteth, a police van will drive around the area sending Bluetooth messages to the mobile phones of passers-by and motorists.

The Bluetooth scheme, thought to be the among the first to be used by police in the UK, will enable mobile phones within a 100-metre radius to receive an appeal for information.

Detectives hope to reach hundreds of young people and drivers with the re-appeal for a woman who was seen driving a red car close to the scene of the murder.

The Bluetooth message will also include an appeal for information about the bike used by the gunman and for a young boy, aged either 13 or 14, who was on a silver BMX bike at the time of the murder and later at a vigil for Rhys in nearby Croxteth Country Park on September 2.

Mr Kelly denied the investigation was struggling and said his officers were continuing to work on “several” strong lines of inquiry.

He said: “We are not doing this out of desperation, it is part of a calculated plan to ensure we get every last drop of evidence so that when this case comes to court we get a conviction.”

So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the murder but nobody has been charged.