Who is DSI Dave ‘Ned’ Kelly? Detective who led hunt for Rhys Jones’ murderer Sean Mercer
THE HUNT for the killer of schoolboy Rhys Jones gripped the nation in 2007 and it has now been made into an ITV drama.
DSI Dave Kelly led the investigation and finally brought Rhys' killer and his associates to justice.
Rhys Jones was just 11 when he was senselessly killed by Sean Mercer while walking across a pub car park in Liverpool in August 2007.
Little Boy Blue follows the fight to bring the 11-year-old’s killers to justice and stars acclaimed British actor Stephen Graham as Dave Kelly.
But who is Dave 'Ned' Kelly - here's what we know...
Who is DSI Dave Kelly?
DSI Dave Kelly is the the man who led the hunt for Rhys Jones’ murderer.
It took 18 months for Kelly to complete his work on the murder case, when finally 18-year-old Sean Mercer – a member of the Croxteth Crew gang – was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Other gang members were also sentenced for assisting an offender.
Kelly’s hunt for the killer involved the deployment of more than 300 officers and gun crime specialists and a large number of youths were arrested and released throughout the case.
Despite the fact that Mercer’s name was written in graffiti and spread online, as well as his name being given by 12 people to Crimewatch, the police were still appealing for witnesses.
Did DSI Kelly approve of the ITV documentary?
DSI Kelly, who retired in March 2009, received a phone call from the producer Kwadjo Jajan and the pair began speaking.
He said: "As time went on I got to know and trust Kwadjo more.
"He had spoken to Melanie and Steve (Rhys' parents) and eventually it got to the point where we decided to go ahead with it.
"Then I got to do a lot of work with Jeff Pope (writer and producer).
"Once he gets into something he gets into it. And the story he has portrayed is accurate. Obviously there is some dramatic license in there but overall it does tell a story of everything that went on."
What is Little Boy Blue and when is it on?
Little Boy Boy is a new ITV drama following the fight to bring the killers of 11-year-old Rhys Jones to justice.
The series tells how Sean Mercer and his associates were tracked down by detectives and prosecuted in the courts.
Little Boy Blue began on ITV on Monday April 24, with the first of four one-hour episodes starting at 9pm.
