Little Boy Blue: The heartbreaking true story of Rhys Jones' murder

Little Boy Blue

The surprising 2007 murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones is being retold in a very new ITV drama.

Little Boy Blue can air at 9pm on ITV1 tonight.

The fact-based drama can see Sir Leslie Stephen Graham and archangel Moran star within the sorrowful true story, reports the Coventry Telegraph.

The gap episode sees the ceremony of 11-year-old Rhys as he's set to rest, whereas a police raid at the house of Kevin Moody results in the recovery of the gun employed in the schoolboy's murder.

Moody should make a choice from being tagged a grass and risking violent retribution or protective the killer and facing jail time.

But Associate in Nursing surprising result from the rhetorical tests on the gun leaves the whole investigation hanging within the balance.

Taboo actor Sir Leslie Stephen Graham plays Detective Superintendent Dave Kelly in very little Boy Blue, that explores the impact of the crime amid a wave of gang violence.

The drama was written by Jeff Pope, World Health Organization was govt producer of The Moorside, regarding the faked seizure of girl applied scientist Matthews.

Rhys Jones was born in Sept 1995 in Croxteth, in metropolis.

He was son to Melanie and Sir Leslie Stephen, and younger brother to Owen.

Rhys passed on to the great beyond in August 2007, weeks before he was set to start out school at Fazakerley highschool.

The 11-year-old was a keen player World Health Organization contend for coniferous tree Boys soccer club and supported Everton.

The actor World Health Organization plays the mother of the dead pupil has told of the "responsibility" she felt in usurping the role.

Sinead Keenan, 39, told greeting Britain: "It's rough, i would be lying if I aforementioned it absolutely was. If this was simply a story that was created up, you'd suppose that was horrific enough.

"The indisputable fact that it absolutely was real and one thing that a family live through, and still square measure, day in, day out, it brings Associate in Nursing awful ton of responsibility in touch on the entire solid."

Keenan and her co-star, Brian F O'Byrne, met Rhys's oldsters, Melanie and Steve, World Health Organization have given their blessing to the drama, that starts on Mon night.

"They were terribly kind, hospitable individuals, terribly generous with their time, terribly honest. There was little or no censorship in terms of after they spoke regarding Rhys and what they went through," Keenan aforementioned.

"I believe they've seen all four episodes."

Rhys was shot by 16-year-old Sean Mercer on August twenty two, 2007.

He had been motion home alone from taking part in soccer once the shooting occurred within the coniferous tree taphouse park within the Croxteth Park estate.

A youth in a very hoodie approached him on a bicycle at around seven.30pm, command out a firearm and discharged 3 shots.

During the trial it absolutely was discovered one the shots entered through his back and exited through his neck.

After police visited her home to share the dreadful news, she rush to the scene wherever she found Rhys unconscious. Despite medics best tries, Rhys was pronounced dead at Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

At 7.28pm on August twenty two, 2007, 3 shots perforate the air of the coniferous tree taphouse park in Croxteth Park.

The first bullet, discharged from a .455 Smith & Wesson revolver, hit a BMW before spinning off and slamming into a blue metal instrumentality.

The second well-tried fatal. however not for any of the rival gang members the hooded gunman was aiming at.

It perforate pupil player Rhys’ neck, inflicting the injuries that may cause a town to mourn and spark the search for a toddler killer.

Such was the attacker’s chilling intent to try to to evil he discharged for a 3rd time, despite having already hit one innocent watcher.
That gunman was juvenile Sean Mercer, aged simply sixteen.

The Croxteth Crew gang member was the hooded crook caught on CCTV unloading the shots as he stood next to his push bike, aiming for his enemies from Benjamin Franklin Norris Jr. inexperienced.

As Rhys’ mum Melanie rush to the scene and cradled her son in her arms, Mercer cycled away - fleeing the realm employing a now-closed path linking Altcross Road and therefore the Croxteth Park estate.

Rhys was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital wherever physicians tried to save lots of his life.

Meanwhile Mercer’s twisted mates worked on a bid to save lots of the shaven-headed killer’s skin.

He at the start visited the house of Boy M, whose age throughout the legal proceedings meant he couldn't be known. There, a concealing arrange was hatched and different gang members referred to as.

They enclosed Gary Kays and Melvin Coy, World Health Organization drove Mercer to Associate in Nursing industrial estate in Kirkby wherever his garments were burned. He was doused in gasoline to get rid of traces of gun residue.

By 9pm Mercer was climb into Coy’s Ford Galaxy for the journey to his Jew shut zero in Croxteth. By then Rhys’ oldsters had been told their precious kid had lost his battle for survival.

In the hours when Rhys' death, Radio town ninety six.7 dedicated their programming to Associate in Nursing amnesty for witnesses and a spoken communication on gun crime. They conjointly launched Associate in Nursing anti-gun campaign with the assistance of Rhys' oldsters.

Detectives created variety of arrests with Rhys' oldsters creating Associate in Nursing emotional attractiveness for witnesses to return forward four weeks later following a Crimewatch reconstruction.

In Gregorian calendar month 2008, seventeen individuals were in remission, as well as one for murder. Following a 9 week trial in Gregorian calendar month, Sean Mercer was condemned of murder and sentenced to life in jail.