The father of Rhys Jones sat in a hushed courtroom yesterday as the killing of his 11-year-old son by a hooded gunman was shown in graphic, time-lapse CCTV footage.

Stephen Jones, 45, remained seated and wiped away a tear with a tissue as the pictures showed, in slow motion, Rhys turning at the sound of the first shot, then being knocked to the ground when the second bullet hit him in the back of the neck.

Rhys’s mother, Melanie, 47, stood up and hurried out seconds before the jury was shown the fatal shot.

Rhys was on his way home from football practice in August last year when he walked into the line of fire between two rival gangs. He was outside the Fir Tree pub in Croxteth Park, Liverpool, when he was hit by the second of three shots allegedly aimed across the car park by a member of the Croxteth Crew.

He was, it was suggested at Liverpool Crown Court, the innocent victim of a feud between the Croxteth Crew and the Strand Gang.

Neil Flewitt, QC, opening for the prosecution, told the court that the murder of Rhys was a tragic result of the violence between the two gangs, who were fighting for territory in the Croxteth and Norris Green districts of the city. Since 2004 there had been been at least 70 acts of gang-related criminal damage, some resulting from shots being fired.

Mr Flewitt said that early in the evening of Wednesday, August 22, three Strand Gang members, led by Wayne Brady, 20, left the relative safety of Norris Green to enter the “hostile environment” of Croxeth Park to retrieve a bicycle from a friend’s house. He said that the gunman, who stood astride his mountain bike and fired a .455 Smith and Wesson with his arms held in front of him in the pub forecourt, was Sean Mercer, of Croxteth, then aged 16.

Mr Flewitt said that immediately after the shooting Sean Mercer swiftly disposed of his clothing, his bicycle and the gun. He was helped by a number of friends including the six others with him in the dock.

The barrister said: “It is the prosecution case that the strength of the loyalty that existed among gang members and their associates explains the speed and enthusiasm with which Boy M [16], James Yates [20], Boy Q [17], Gary Kays [25], Melvin Coy [24] and Boy K [17] did all that they could to help Sean Mercer avoid responsibility for the dreadful events.”

The six are all accused of various related offences.

Rhys was described as a football-loving schoolboy who supported Everton and played for the under-12 team at the pub. Tragically, when the practice session was over, his route took him across the pub car park and directly into the line of fire.

He said: “Witnesses both inside and outside the pub describe hearing a number of loud bangs that many of them thought were fireworks . . . Most of the witnesses describe a total of three gunshots – a single shot followed shortly by two further shots in quick succession.”

The first shot went through the rear window of a BMW in the pub car park. The sound of the shot hitting a blue container on the edge of the car park distracted Rhys, who turned to look in that direction. “As he did so he was struck by what we suggest was the second bullet fired by the gunman,” Mr Flewitt said.

“It is probable that after failing to hit either of his targets with his first shot, the gunman adjusted his position and fired again at the same time as the [two targets] began to move quickly across the car park toards the relative safety of the nearby shopping arcade. It was, therefore, the movement of both the guman and his targets that brought Rhys into the line of fire.”

In the minutes after Rhys fell to the ground, his mother rushed to his side from her home near by but it was clear that there was little chance of her son surviving.

The trial continues.

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