Help us find this bike, plead murder hunt police

Oct 23 2007 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Daily Post

DETECTIVES investigating the murder of Rhys Jones have appealed for the public’s help in tracing the bike used by the gunman on the night of the murder.

Officers believe the bike was abandoned, along with another bike, on a football playing field on Parkview Road, Croxteth, at approximately 8.30pm on August 22 – immediately after the 11-year-old was shot dead as he walked home from football practice in Croxteth Park. They now fear an unsuspecting child could be riding round on the bike used by the teenage killer and are still trying to track down the bike over two months after he was gunned down.

Detectives believe the gunman dumped the bike as he fled Croxteth Park and think another youngster then picked it up – not knowing it could provide crucial evidence to the murder inquiry team.

The bike is described as a mountain bike with a silver frame, black forks and a black seat.

It was left with another bike, described as a black mountain bike, with suspension under the seat and gears. It also had faulty brakes.

The officer leading the investigation Acting Det Supt Dave Kelly said: “I would appeal to anyone who took the bikes, anyone who now has possession of the bikes or who knows anything about them to contact the incident room.

“Their information could prove vital to this investigation.

Their appeal for information came as detectives ilaunched a series of initiatives to find a crucial witness.

This week 1000 leaflets are being distributed across the Croxteth Park estate and a billboard will be put up on Oak Road in an attempt to find a woman who may have nearly knocked down the suspected killer as he made his escape