Police arrest 11 over Rhys Jones murder

Police in Liverpool arrested 11 people yesterday in connection with the murder of schoolboy Rhys Jones, a police spokesman said.

Two teenage boys aged 16 and 17 and two men aged 24 and 25 were held on suspicion of murder in dawn raids in the Croxteth area of the city.

Eleven-year-old Jones was shot dead in Croxteth as he walked home from football practice on August 22 last year. His death fuelled a national debate about rising youth crime and gang violence.

Merseyside Police said they had also arrested a boy aged 16 on suspicion of assisting an offender, attempting to pervert the course of justice and possession of a firearm.

A 49-year-old man and a boy of 15 were held on suspicion of assisting an offender and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Three women, aged 21, 50 and 54, and a man aged 22 were arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

"All those arrested are from the Croxteth area and have all been taken to police stations on Merseyside, where they will be questioned by detectives," police said in a statement. Detectives have previously made a string of arrests during the investigation, but no one has been charged so far.

In February, police said they had found a gun they believed was the murder weapon.

Jones' death followed a wave of teenage murders across Britain. Prime Minister Gordon Brown described it as a "heinous crime that shocked the whole of the country".

The boy's parents Stephen and Melanie Jones said their lives had become a "living nightmare".

Timeline - Rhys Jones murder inquiry

2007

August 22 - Rhys Jones, 11, is shot dead in the car park of the Fir Tree pub in Croxteth, Liverpool.

August 23 - Merseyside Police say they have arrested two teenagers, aged 14 and 18, on suspicion of murder.

August 24 - A third teenager, a 16-year-old boy, is arrested on suspicion of murder.

August 25 - Police ask football fans at Everton's Goodison Park for help in finding the killer.

August 25 - Police arrest six more teenagers, including two girls, in connection with the killing.

August 29 - Detectives appeal to a "mystery man" to get back in touch after he rang with key information.

August 31 - Four more suspects - men aged 20 and 24 and teenagers aged 16 and 17 - are arrested.

September 4 - A 16-year-old boy is held on suspicion of murder.

September 6 - Mourners at Rhys's funeral clap as his father and brother carry his coffin into Liverpool's Anglican cathedral.

September 26 - Police release CCTV footage of a suspect fleeing the scene of the shooting.

September 29 - Graffiti naming a suspect are removed from a wall in Liverpool.

October 29 - A video giving a suspect's name is taken down from the YouTube video-sharing website.

November 20 - Detectives re-arrest a 16-year-old on suspicion of firearms offences. An 18-year-old is also held.

2008

January 31 - Media reports say the 17-year-old prime suspect in the case is arrested on suspicion of firearms offences unrelated to the Rhys Jones investigation.

February 20 - Police say they have found a gun they think is the murder weapon.

April 15 - In a series of dawn raids in Croxteth, officers arrest 11 people, including four on suspicion of murder.