Name change for Liverpool pub at scene of Rhys Jones shooting

by Karl Walderman. Published Fri 09 Jan 2009 09:14, Last updated: 2009-01-09

Rhys Jones tributes laid at the Fir Tree pub

The Liverpool pub where 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot and killed is the re-open under the name "The Strand Farm" .

The horrific shooting in August 2007 took place in the car park of the Fir Tree Pub in Croxteth which was later closed and has remained boarded-up for a year.

Now the bar and restaurant will re-open under the name of the farmhouse that originally stood on the site and is incorporated into the building.

Hoodie gang member Sean Mercer hit innocent schoolboy Rhys in the neck with a bullet as the youngster walked home from football practice on 22nd August 2007.

mercer, a member of the Croccy Crew, fired three bullets at a member of the rival Nogga Dogz gang.

Soccer mad Rhys died in his mother's arms at the scene. Mercer,18, is serving a life sentence with a minimum of 22 years behind bars.

Planning permission has been granted for the Strand Farm to be remodelled with alterations to the building including an extension and new fencing around the car park.