stephen and melanie jones 300
The father of Rhys Jones today said justice had finally been done for his son as Sean Mercer was convicted of his murder.
Speaking outside court, Stephen Jones said: "Finally justice has been done for Rhys, first we would like to show our enormous gratitude to the Merseyside Police officers whose professionalism and perseverance secured this outcome, especially Dave Kelly and the family liaison officers our sincere thanks."
Mr Jones said the family would also like to thank members of the CPS team, prosecutors and the couple's employers Tesco.
"From the day Rhys died the kindness shown to us by the people of Liverpool has been immeasurable. For this we will always be thankful from the bottom of our hearts.
"Over the months we have found strength and support from many thousands of strangers from around the world. For us and the family this is not the final chapter of this tragedy, but at last we can begin the challenge of rebuilding our lives."
