THE jailed mother of Rhys Jones’s killer has run up more than £2,000 in rent arrears since being put behind bars, an eviction hearing was told.

Janette Mercer, 50, was locked up for three years in April for lying to detectives investigating the 11-year-old schoolboy’s murder.

Her son, Sean Mercer, 19, was given a life sentence after a three-month trial last year.

At Liverpool County Court Paul Burns, prosecuting on behalf of Riverside Housing Association, told His Honour Judge Graham Platts that Janette Mercer had failed to pay rent since being put behind bars in April and had accumulated more than £2,000 in arrears.

Addressing the first day of a legal attempt to evict her from her Merseyside home, he said there was “a plethora of examples” as to why the property should be repossessed.

He outlined why the murderer’s mother should be evicted from her three bedroom semi-detached house on Good Shepherd Close in the now notorious Croxteth area of Liverpool.

Mr Burns told the court of the impact of the young Everton fan’s death, saying: “The murder of Rhys Jones not only produced outrage and upset in the community but also national public dismay.”

Neighbours suffered from “threatening and abusive conduct” at the hands of Janette Mercer and her three children, and one family were forced from their home next door after persistent harassment.

He said gang-related anti-social behaviour centred around the house, reminded the judge of Janette Mercer’s role in hindering the murder investigation, and described Sean Mercer’s “cocky” attitude since his incarceration for the shooting.