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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Rhys Jones killer's mother jailed | Rhys Jones killer's mother jailed |
| (29 minutes later) | |
| The mother of Rhys Jones's killer has been jailed for three years for lying to detectives investigating the schoolboy's murder. | The mother of Rhys Jones's killer has been jailed for three years for lying to detectives investigating the schoolboy's murder. |
| The judge told Janette Mercer, 49, who admitted perverting the course of justice, that she knew her son had told police "a pack of lies". | |
| She backed her son, Sean, 18, when he denied owning a silver bike caught on CCTV being used by the gunman. | |
| Rhys, 11, was shot in Croxteth Park, Liverpool, in August 2007. | Rhys, 11, was shot in Croxteth Park, Liverpool, in August 2007. |
| Judge Henry Globe QC told Mercer: "Your son was a key suspect in the murder and you knew he had told a pack of lies. | |
| "You backed him up and you told more lies." | |
| Mr and Mrs Yates were sentenced alongside Janette Mercer | |
| Francis and Marie Yates, the parents of Sean Mercer's co-accused James Yates, were also sentenced on Wednesday. | |
| Marie Yates, 51, hindered the murder investigation by destroying a mobile phone Sim card belonging to her son which denied police vital evidence. | |
| Francis Yates, 49, was with his wife when the Sim was set on fire and also suggested a false alibi to help Mercer cover his tracks. | |
| The couple, from Dodman Road, Croxteth, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and were sentenced to 18 months for destroying the Sim card. | |
| Francis Yates was jailed for three years, to be served consecutively, for helping Mercer with a false alibi. |