Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
No one’s told us why gangster is out early
Rhys father fury at release of pistol thug Parents not consulted over ‘joke’ decision
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 at Croxteth, Liverpool, after being caught in gangland crossfire.
Mercer, 27, was later jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 22 years.
Yates got seven years in 2009 for supplying the 1915 Smith & Wesson revolver used in the shooting.
He was initially released in 2014 but arrested two years later for drug offences and returned to prison. But Stephen said Yates could easily have been the killer himself had he not been injured at the time. He added: “In one police interview he said if he hadn’t got his leg in plaster he would have been the one to go down there. The fact he got hold of a gun so quickly shows how evil he is.”
Melanie agrees with her husband. She has said: “He may not have pulled the trigger but he was minding the gun. For us, Yates is the most evil of them all.”
It is understood a decision was made to free Yates before Christmas. He was due out yesterday. Under the terms of his licence he can not return to Croxteth and is believed to be staying in a bail hostel. During his trial he was heard to say from the dock: “All this fuss over a kid.”
The decision to free Yates came days before the Parole Board ruled black cab rapist John Worboys, 60, should also be released after serving eight years of an indefinite sentence.
Two of his victims have won a judicial review to challenge the decision.