English Opinion

Today was the day that the family of 11 year old Rhys Jones was waiting for. His murderer was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court, finally allowing the Jones family to gain a little closure and begin celebrating his memory rather than worrying about whether or not the animal that shot him would be convicted.

Rhys Jones was killed in August 2007 as he walked home from football practice. His murder hit the headlines because he was the innocent victim of gang violence in the city of Liverpool. Rhys was shot for no apparent reason and it took some time to locate his killer as a result of his attempts to destroy all evidence linking him to the crime. Sean Mercer was just 16 at the time he shot his young victim in Croxteth on that fateful summer evening but he wasn’t aiming for Rhys Jones at all. Instead he was aiming for a member of the Strand Gang, the bitter rivals of Mercer’s own Croxteth Crew. Their bloody fued had ripped out the heart of the community and the death of Rhys Jones was simply a by product. This may have not made a difference to Mercer and the people convicted of heping him to hide the crime, but it resounded around the country and made it abundantly clear that gang culture had to be tackled.

Gang violence was nothing new in Croxteth but the death of an innocent boy that had nothing to do with the feud was beyond reproach. Worse still, Sean Mercer has never ever shown any remorse at all for what he did. He has neither apologised nor shown any form of sorrow or guilt at all. All he was concerned with was saving his own neck. How on Earth have we come to this? A 16 year old boy shot an 11 year old dead and yet felt nothing. Today, Mercer’s father mouthed that he loved him as the teenager was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison, and still nothing.

Gang culture is ruining society as a result of violence, knife and gun crime and an unyielding attitude that seems bent on destruction, with no hope for the future given that gang members are as young as 10 or 11. With parents that neither know nor care where their children are, there is no support structure or role model in sight, which may explain why Sean Mercer and others only feel loyalties to their gang. What happens to those children that are cared about and brought up well, respecting their elders and the very value of life? Just ask Rhys Jones’ parents.

Last week, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith released false figures that implied that the Labour government had violent crime, and knife crime in particular, under control. She has since had to apologise for blatant lies, but has apprently yet to realise that she is fighting a losing battle. Whilst I am not trying to blame all parents, improvement has to begin at home. I once read a story about a mother turning in her son for gang membership and violent acts because she knew it was the best thing to do and perhaps the only way she had left to help him. Loyalty to children should go out of the window when they are killing people and terrorising people of all ages. That mother did the right thing and her son has since thanked her for it, but those parents that continue to turn a blind eye to such murderous behaviour are just as bad as their gang member children.

I am so glad that the family of Rhys Jones finally got justice, which is more than the families of many gang victims do. I hope they can gain a little peace of mind now. However, this must be used as a starting point for tough reforms and parents taking the initiative. It has to stop before any more innocent children die.

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