Dad of murdered schoolboy Rhys Jones slams parole board for releasing gangster who supplied gun that killed his son
THE father of schoolboy Rhys Jones has lashed out at the parole board for releasing the gangster who supplied the gun, saying the system is a “joke”.
Stephen Jones, 54, said the board had ignored his fears over the thug saying he is sure James Yates will still be a danger to the public.
The supermarket worker said: “He’s not supposed to be a danger to the public anymore? It’s just a joke.
“We’ve not been told anything around the circumstances, as to the reasons why, we were just given a date. We were not asked to give a statement. I’d like to know how the parole board made their decision, nobody approached us and said: ‘What are your views?’
“Obviously, our views would be different to what was in front of them. Who sits on the parole board, what are their qualifications? Obviously they are not in touch with the victims. We would have liked to have been asked.”
Speaking of Yates, 30, who gave killer Sean Mercer, then 16, the gun that shot 11-year-old Rhys as the innocent youngster walked back from football training, Stephen added: “He has been released because someone thinks he is not a threat to society, but he will reoffend, he will be back inside.
“He is a career criminal, he is unemployable and there is not a great deal else he can do.
“When they were sentenced, you think they aren’t going to be out until whenever, but the reality is they will be out and they will be enjoying themselves. The fact is, they don’t learn, they just go on to do something else.
“When people only serve half their sentence it’s pretty galling, I’m a great believer that life means life.
“Mercer should serve his entire sentence. If you get 50 years, you should serve 50 years. Mel and I are firm believers that life should mean life and you should never get out.
“We try to move on as much as we can, but we can’t. We don’t forget about Rhys, but you can have good days and good memories, then something like this comes up and brings it all back and we are back to square one. Rhys does not come back, but they can go on and live their lives.
“They have never given it a second thought, there is no remorse, they’re not bothered, they just don’t care, it is not a member of their family.”
Rhys died in 2007 in Croxteth, Liverpool, after being caught in gangland crossfire. Mercer, 27, was later given a life sentence and ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years.
The 30-year-old serial offender has convinced the parole board he is no longer a threat to society.
The decision dashes Rhys’s family’s hopes that he would have to serve his full 12-year sentence and not be allowed out until 2020.
A source told The Sun: “Yates is a serial criminal and a nasty piece of work. Although he didn't pull the trigger, he set the wheels firmly in motion for Rhys’s death.
“His release is devastating news. How many chances does he get?”
Everton fan Rhys, whose story was told in TV drama Little Boy Blue, was killed as he walked home from football practice in Croxteth, Liverpool.
He was hit by a bullet fired by Croxteth Crew member Sean Mercer, then 16, at rival gangsters.
Yates, who has a string of drug convictions and was questioned over another gang murder, supplied Mercer with the Smith and Wesson gun and helped him destroy it later.
During his trial, he was heard to hiss: “All this fuss over a kid.”
But his hardman image crumbled while on remand when he broke down in tears as inmates taunted him with cries of “baby killer”.
Yates was jailed for seven years in 2009 but the sentence was ruled unduly lenient and increased to 12 years by the Court of Appeal.
He was released in 2014 only to be arrested two years later by police investigating drug deals in Scotland.
Although the prosecution collapsed because witnesses were too terrified to give evidence, Yates was returned to jail for breaching his licence.
Shortly before Christmas, however, the three-member parole board agreed he could go free.
Days later, another panel cleared black cab rapist John Worboys for release.
Rhys' family has been informed and Yates, known to his pals as Yatzy, is to be moved from prison to a bail hostel on Friday.
His licence conditions are thought to ban him from the Croxteth area, where Rhys’s parents still live.
The decision dashes Rhys’s family’s hopes that he would have to serve his full 12-year sentence and not be allowed out until 2020.
Shortly before Christmas, however, the three-member parole board agreed he could go free.
Days later, another panel cleared black cab rapist John Worboys for release.
Rhys' family has been informed and Yates, known to his pals as Yatzy, is to be moved from prison to a bail hostel on Friday.
His licence conditions are thought to ban him from the Croxteth area, where Rhys’s parents still live.
He is also thought to be barred from Liverpool’s Norris Green — home to the Croxteth Crew’s gang rivals — and from Dundee where he was linked to drugs deals.
A source said: “Prisoners handed a standard recall like Yates can apply for parole after a minimum of a year.
That means Yates has almost certainly won his freedom at the first attempt of asking.”
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Rhys’s mum, Melanie, has called Yates the “most evil” of all those involved in her son’s death.
She said: “He may not have pulled the trigger but he was minding the gun. He makes my skin crawl.”
Mercer must serve a minimum of 22 years.
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