THE Rhys Jones murder trial has now heard all the evidence in the case.

With five of the seven defendants opting to stay silent and call no evidence, the case for both sides was closed yesterday at Liverpool Crown Court.

Alleged killer Sean Mercer and four of those said to have helped him in the subsequent cover-up – James Yates, Nathan Quinn and two youngsters, Boy M and Boy K – all exercised their right not to call any evidence in their own defence.

When the jury returns to court on Tuesday morning, Neil Flewitt, QC, prosecuting, will deliver his closing speech, summing up the Crown’s case.

It will be followed by one from each defending barrister, before Mr Justice Irwin sums up the crucial points of evidence and any points of law the jury need to consider.

Yesterday, co-accused Melvin Coy finished giving his evidence.

Coy is alleged to have rung Mercer at 6.40pm on August 22, 2007, setting in motion the chain of events that eventually lead to Rhys’s death.

He is also accused of picking up Mercer, Yates and Quinn from the home of Boy M, driving them to his dad’s lock-up in Kirkby and helping wash Mercer in petrol to get rid of gunshot residue before his clothes were burnt.

Coy says he and fellow defendant Gary Kays were together at his house on the night of the killing, fixing a Land Rover on his drive.

He says the trip to Kirkby was an innocent one to get parts for the car, which he spent most nights fixing up.

Coy told the court: “I never cleaned up nothing and Gary Kays never cleaned up nothing because he was with me all the time.”