RHYS JONES:Police deny protecting prime suspect

Feb 21 2008

On the eve of the six-month anniversary of the murder of Rhys Jones, John Fahey reports on the latest developments in the case

POLICE last night denied they were providing protection to the prime suspect in the Rhys Jones murder investigation – despite officers being repeatedly stationed near his house.

The 17-year-old, who lives a mile away from where the schoolboy was shot on August 22 last year, was released on bail until April after questioning about the murder.

Tomorrow, it will be six months since the 11-year-old was shot dead as he walked home from football practice.

The gunman, thought to be a local youth, was captured on CCTV escaping on a mountain bike.

The prime suspect is one of four people arrested in the aftermath of Rhys’s killing, who remain suspects.

During a visit to the teenager’s street last week, two officers outside the house confirmed there was a continued police presence at the tidy semi-detached home.

Asked if they were present all the time, one said: “Yeah, we are here all the time, not us personally, but somebody is.”

A spokesman for Merseyside Police said the officers’ presence was part of wider aims to prevent crime in Croxteth and Norris Green, and was a “disruption technique”.

But on one day a yellow Merseyside Police van was parked away from public view, directly outside the boy’s house, which is shielded from the main road.

On another day, officers were in an unmarked silver police car.

Asked if the suspect was under permanent guard, the force spokesman said: “That’s not right.

“There were a number of media in a certain road last week as a patrol car was in that road.

“That was part of disruption techniques in the area, not for any other reason because we have had issues in that area.

“We brought in extra officers last October in Croxteth and Norris Green to disrupt gun and gang crime.

“In no way is that a police guard. They won’t be there all the time but there some of the time.

“I can’t go into the reasons of how they come up with tactics.

“And we can’t go into the naming of the road because we could identify him. It is not a police guard.”

The prime suspect is also currently on bail for another alleged firearms offence.

In the weeks after Rhys’s murder, police were told the alleged hoodie killer, thought to have been involved in a dispute between rival gangs in Croxteth and Norris Green, was in fear of his life and was being ferried round in the boots of cars.

Rhys opted to walk the 250 yards home, rather than get a lift from a friend’s father, after finishing pre-season training with his club, Fir Tree Under-12s.

As he crossed the car park of the Fir Tree Pub, on Fir Tree Drive South, Croxteth Park, he was caught in the middle of what police believe was an attempted gang hit.

A hooded gunman fired three shots from the car park.

One of the shots struck a silver BMW parked in the middle of the gravel driveway and ricocheted, hitting Rhys in the neck.

The Everton fan lay dying in his mother’s arms as the alarm was raised.

Alder Hey doctors worked in vain to save him.