Senior figures in Liverpool council spoke of their relief that those responsible for the death of Rhys Jones have been brought to justice

Liverpool City Council leader Warren Bradley said: "The murder of Rhys Jones shocked and appalled the whole of the city, the nation and the wider world.

"It is a relief for everyone to know that those involved in this heinous crime have been found guilty and will be out of circulation for a very long time.

"I would like to pay tribute to the hard work of Merseyside Police in bringing the guilty people to justice, and to the family of Rhys Jones who have shown exceptional dignity and courage since their son was murdered.

"The good, hard working and law abiding people of Croxteth and Norris Green were sickened by the shooting of Rhys, and the way in which his death reflected on their community.

"We have to remember that as shocking as it was, gun violence is extremely rare and does not represent everyday life for people in Liverpool.

"This dreadful incident will live long in our memory, but it is important that we take something positive from the tragedy and do all we can to make sure that our young people do not get tempted into gang activity."
 
Councillor Marilyn Fielding, Liverpool City Council’s executive member for safer, stronger communities, said: "The local community can now finally draw a line under the events of August 2007 and begin to move on.

"However, they will never forget the appalling manner in which Rhys Jones was killed.

"We are working hard with our partners in the police, housing associations and with voluntary and community groups to make sure that all local youngsters can get involved in positive activities. 

"Violent crime has fallen by 36% in Liverpool over the last three years, and overall we are one of the safest big cities in the country.
"We are committed to doing all we can to reduce this further so that we never again lose a young life in such tragic circumstances."