A fellow gang member told police Rhys Jones' killer admitted carrying out the shooting, a court heard.

Sean Mercer, 18, is accused of gunning down the 11-year-old by accident while aiming at members of a rival Liverpool gang.

Liverpool Crown Court heard a 16-year-old fellow defendant told detectives Mercer admitted the killing and the bike he was riding was removed from his house after the shooting.

The younger boy is charged with three counts of assisting an offender but "accepts most of what is alleged against him", saying he helped Mercer because he was scared of him, said Mr Flewitt.

Mercer was helped by other Crocky Crew gang members who hid the gun used in the shooting, got rid of clothing worn on the day and used petrol to remove gunshot residue from Mercer's body, said Neil Flewitt QC, prosecuting.

Mr Flewitt said a silver Specialized Hardrock mountain bike found dumped six months after the killing was linked directly to Mercer through serial number records and traces of the teenager's DNA.

The bike had been hidden less than 250 yards from a unit on an industrial estate in Kirkby, north Liverpool, that Mercer and several of his co-accused allegedly visited hours after Rhys's murder.

Football-mad Rhys died in his mother's arms in the car park of the Fir Tree pub in Croxteth Park, Liverpool, on August 22 last year, after getting caught in the crossfire during a confrontation between the Crocky Crew and Nogga Dogz gangs.

Mercer was arrested on August 25 and said he was with a friend at the time of the murder. He declined to answer any questions both at the time and when he was rearrested in April.

Mercer, of Croxteth, denies murder. James Yates, 20, of Croxteth, denies two counts of assisting an offender and possessing a gun. Gary Kays, 25, of Croxteth, denies two counts of assisting an offender. Melvin Coy, 25, of Croxteth, also denies two counts of assisting an offender. Boy K, 17, denies possessing the murder weapon, another gun, ammunition and assisting an offender by hiding the murder weapon. Boy Q, aged 17, denies two charges of assisting an offender by helping to dump the clothes and gun. Boy M, aged 16, denies three counts of assisting an offender by dumping the gun, clothes and bike used by the killer.

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