Viewers have been devastated by ITV's Little Boy Blue, a true-crime drama which looks at the death of Rhys Jones, an 11-year-old boy who was shot and killed on his way home from football practice back in 2007. So what happened to those behind Rhys' death, and where are they now? Find out here...
Sean was 16 when he was arrested
Sean Mercer, who was 16 at the time of Rhys' death, was arrested and found guilty of murder in 2008 after a nine-week trial. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years behind bars, and is currently serving time at Category A HMP Frankland in County Durham. According to reports, his lawyers are set to appeal the length of the sentence due to him being a juvenile at the time of the murder.
Court drawing of Gary Kays, Melvyn Coy, Sean Mercer, James Yates and more
Speaking about the potential appeal, Rhys' dad Steve Jones previously told the Liverpool Echo: "We're not happy Mercer is doing this. He's got his sentence and he had a fair trial. He's just trying to get out as soon as he can, he should serve his full 22-year tariff. You read certain things that Mercer is a changed person, but like the others in his gang have proved, they've been in more trouble since Rhys was killed. I don't think he's changed."
Rhys Jones was killed on the way home from football practice
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Sean previously wrote a letter apologising for the crime back in 2017, which was published by The Daily Mail. It read: "I have to live with what happened every day and it's horrible. I've said it kills me inside, I didn't know the little lad had been hit until hours later. I didn't see him."
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Sean was one of several members of a criminal gang, the Croxteth Crew, who were charged in relation to Rhys' death. James Yates, Nathan Quinn, Gary Kays, Melvin Coy and Dean Kelly were also convicted of assisting an offender and received sentences between two and 12 years.
