13 arrested in Rhys Jones murder investigation

April 16, 2008 Merseyside Police have arrested 13 people in connection with the murder of school boy Rhys Jones in 2007. The arrests took place in the Croxteth area of Liverpool, where the murder occurred. Of those, 12 were arrested on Tuesday in dawn raids and the 13th arrested on April 16. One of the original 12 has been released on bail.

Of the 12 the remaining in custody, two boys aged 16 and 17, and two men aged 24 and 25, were arrested on suspicion of murder. The other arrests relate to possible charges of perverting the course of justice and assisting an offender and in one case possession of a firearm and ammunition.

There have been many previous arrests during this investigation, it is not known how many, if any, of these suspects have been previously arrested in the course of this investigation. In the UK non terrorist suspects may be held for up to 24 hours before charges are brought and additional 12 hours can be granted by a Police superintendent. The police can then apply to a Magistrate for a further extension, this may happen as early as 5 p.m. BST (UTC+1) on April 16.

Merseyside Police announced at 6 p.m. on April 16, that a 17-year-old had been charged with murder. Charges of assisting an offender have been brought against two men Gary Kayes and Melvyn Coy, and two youths, one of the youths has also been charged with possessing a firearm.

In addition to the charged, one man was released on police bail on Tuesday and four more today, one person remains in custody without charge and one woman has been released without charge.