A teenager recruited by Rhys Jones's alleged killer to hide the murder weapon told a jury today that he started to weep when he first learned that police had raided his home.

The youth, who has been accorded immunity from prosecution in return for his evidence, said that he had been on holiday watching a dolphin display at Seaworld theme park in Florida at the time.

He was alerted to the police activity at his home in east Liverpool by a phone call from his cousin. He immediately became concerned that he was being set by up those suspected of the schoolboy's murder to "take the blame".

In a pre-recorded interview shown to the jury at Liverpool Crown Court, the 17-year-old youth said: "I was like watching the show but I could feel the tears coming down my eyes.

"I told [my sister] that the house was being raided and she was just crying. She just hugged me."

Subsequently, he called Sean Mercer, 18, who denies murder, to ask him what was going on. He said that a day later Mercer called him back to tell him "your door's been kicked in".

The jury has previously heard that police found the gun along with ammunition in the loft. The teenager was arrested on his return from America.

He was shocked, however, when he received an unexpected phone call from the alleged killer on Christmas night.

He told his two interviewers that initially he thought that Mr Mercer was going to warn him about the consequences of informing — that he had "best not grass". Instead, he asked about his mother's health.

Mr Mercer then assured him that he did not need to fear reprisals, telling the teenager: "I hope you have not moved far — don't be looking over your shoulder thinking somebody is following you because they are not."

The teenager said: "I did not know whether he was being serious or just saying that in case the police were listening in on the conversation.

"I was shocked. I thought they would have been phoning me saying all horrible stuff but I was just thinking: 'Well, why is he saying that?'"

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