Rhys Jones murder weapon made for first world war

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/dec/16/rhys-jones-gun

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The distinctive, long-barrelled Smith and Wesson revolver used in the fatal shooting of Rhys Jones was probably manufactured in 1915 for the British army and intended for use in the first world war, rather than on the streets of Liverpool.

It was designed to fire 0.455in cartridges but has at some point been modified to accept longer 0.45in colt cartridges. Inevitably, considering it is 93 years old, it is said to be in poor condition.

Mark Robinson, an experienced forensics expert who examined the weapon, told Liverpool crown court: "I found it to be in working order but in pretty poor external condition. Lots of the original finish was corroded, some of which had been rubbed off. The rifling inside the barrel was worn, consistent with the age and the use of the gun."

A YouTube video entitled Crocky Edz was shown to the jury. In it, a Smith and Wesson revolver, which may have been the murder weapon, was shown in the 48-second clip. Masked youngsters also displayed sawn-off shotguns, revolvers and a Soviet, self-loading pistol.

At least five different weapons were shown in the short clip, with one picked out as being identical to the alleged murder weapon. Robinson said it was a match for the one the prosecution claimed was used in the shooting. But without a sharper image, he could not definitely say if it was the same weapon.

Both guns were missing a distinctive metal loop, located on the weapon's butt, designed for soldiers to attach the weapons to their belts.

He told the court Rhys was killed by a tumbling bullet that caused a keyhole effect rather than a typical round mark. This was because the bullet hadn't been flying true when it left the barrel, as it was unstable either because the rifling was worn or the bullet was undersized.

When Robinson tested the gun with factory-made ammunition, it did not produce the same effect. But when he used the cartridges found alongside the gun in Boy C's loft, they created the distinctive keyhole.

"The bullets seem slightly undersized, by only three-thousands of an inch, which is about 0.8mm," Robinson said. "The very slight undersizing with the worn and old condition of the barrel of the gun is the reason they flew in a tumbling manner."

Merseyside police say they are not aware of the revolver being used in any other gangland killings.