CCTV from behind the Fir Tree Pub of Rhys Jones's killer, moments before he struck _320
Mr Flewitt said: “A man by the name of Leslie Shimmin saw a report on the TV news which carried a picture of the type of bicycle that the police by then believed had been involved in the murder.
“Mr Shimmin later saw a picture of the bike and description of the bike as a silver Specialised Hard Rock mountain bike.
“As a result of what he had seen and read, Leslie Shimmin contacted the police incident room and told them that he found the frame of such a bicycle the day after the murder.”
On August 23, the day after Rhys was shot, Mr Shimmin went for a bicycle ride with his young son and two friends. Their journey took them onto Arbour Lane on the Knowsley Industrial Park, in Kirkby.
Mr Flewitt said: “On a small overgrown piece of waste ground, Mr Shimmin spotted the frame of a bicycle that appeared to have been hidden. When he looked more closely, he saw that it was an expensive make and in good condition. He therefore decided to take it home and restore it for one of his children.
“Fortunately for the police investigating the murder of Rhys Jones, he retained the bike and was able to hand it over to them.”
When detectives contacted the insurance firm that provided the bike to Mercer – a claim had been made after his previous one had been stolen – they asked for the serial number.
Mr Flewitt told the jury: “It will, perhaps, come as no surprise to you to learn that the serial number of the silver Specialized Hardrock mountain bike found by Mr Shimmin is the same as the serial number of the Specialized Hardrock mountain bike supplied to Sean Mercer in April 2007.”
Swabs were taken from the frame and sent for DNA analysis and for comparison with a sample from Sean Mercer.
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Mr Flewitt said: “The findings provide support for the contention that Sean Mercer has been in contact with the bicycle frame hidden in Kirkby.”
The trial – which is expected to last eight weeks – heard that Mercer, of Good Shepherd Close, Croxteth, rode to a friend’s house and made the confession minutes after Rhys’s shooting.
A series of calls between the seven accused were allegedly made and Mercer, Melvin Coy, Gary Kays, 25, Boy Q, 17, and James Yates, 20, then drove to Coy’s lock-up in nearby Kirkby.
It is claimed that Mercer was then washed with petrol to remove gun shot residue.
His bike, the court heard, was dumped nearby later that night.
The prosecution claim the killing was part of a gang war between the defendants’ Croxteth Crew and the Strand Gang from nearby Norris Green.
