A teenage gang member has been found guilty of the murder of an 11-year-old boy who was shot dead as he made his way home from football training in Liverpool last year.
Sean Mercer (18), was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court of firing three bullets across a pub car park in Croxteth, Liverpool on August 22nd, 2007. He targeting rivals who had strayed on to his turf.
Schoolboy Rhys Jones was caught in the line of fire and shot in the neck. He died in his mother's arms a short time later.
After almost four days of deliberations, the jury of seven women and five men convicted Mercer of murder unanimously.
Mercer, of Good Shepherd Close, Croxteth, was jailed life and ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years.
The verdict was reached yesterday but could not be reported until now.
Five other gang members, aged from 16 to 26, were convicted yesterday of assisting an offender after they helped Mercer evade the police for months.
A 17-year-old boy was convicted today of four related charges.
During the trial, the jury heard that Mercer was a leading member of the Croxteth Crew gang, which terrorised the local community and was involved in a long-running and bloody feud with the Strand Gang, based on the neighbouring Norris Green estate.