Rhys accused 'at home with DVD'

Rhys Jones was returning from football practice when he was shot

A defendant in the Rhys Jones trial told police he was at home watching a DVD with the alleged gunman when the schoolboy was killed, a court heard.

A transcript of an interview with Boy K, who denies assisting an offender, was read to Liverpool Crown Court.

He told officers he was watching a DVD about rapper 50 Cent with Sean Mercer when Rhys was shot in Croxteth Park, Liverpool, on 22 August 2007.

Mr Mercer, 18, of Good Shepherd Close, Croxteth, denies murder.

When Boy K was interviewed three days after the murder he told police that Mr Mercer arrived at his home between 1830 BST and 1900 BST, staying until between 2000 BST and 2030 BST.

Rhys was shot in the car park of the Fir Tree pub at about 1930 BST.

I'm telling you I did not make any phone call to tell no-one to kill someone

Melvin Coy

The interviewing officer asked: "Is there anything you did or anywhere you went that we can take the time from you?

"Did you make a phone call, because you have been very specific about the time he arrived and the time he left."

Boy K replied "no", before adding that he had his mobile phone with him and that was how he knew what time it was.

The 17-year-old Boy K is one of six people accused of assisting an offender in the Rhys Jones trial.

The others are: James Yates, 20, of Dodman Road; Nathan Quinn, of Wickett Close, both Croxteth; Gary Kays, 25, of Mallard Close and Melvin Coy, 24, of Abbeyfield Drive, both West Derby, Liverpool, along with Boy M, 16, who cannot be named.

Earlier, in his police interviews, Melvin Coy denied that he was responsible for the "sequence of events" which led to the death of Rhys.

Rhys was shot outside The Fir Tree pub in Croxteth

Using mobile phone records of the defendants, detectives put it to father-of-one Mr Coy that he had called Mr Mercer at 1840 BST to tell him that members of the Strand Gang were at the Fir Tree pub.

The police officer said: "I'm accusing you of being the person who rang to alert Sean Mercer that the intended target was at that location.

"I'm accusing you of being the person who started the sequence of events which led to the Rhys Jones killing."

Mr Coy said: "I'm telling you I did not make any phone call to tell no-one to kill someone."

The prosecution also said that after the shooting, Mr Coy collected Mr Mercer, Mr Yates and Mr Quinn from the home of Boy M and drove them to his lock-up garage on an industrial estate outside Liverpool.

But during the police interview, Mr Coy denied that he had picked them up and helped them dispose of the evidence.

The trial continues.