One of the men jailed in connection to the murder of Rhys Jones is to be released from prison today.
James Yates, 30, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for supplying the gun that was used to kill 11-year-old Rhys in 2007.
Yates has been granted parole after the Board said he is no longer a threat to society, the Mirror reports.
His release means he has served 10 years of his 12-year sentence.
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Schoolboy Rhys was walking home from football practice in Liverpool when he was shot and killed by Sean Mercer, then 16, who had been attempting to shoot at a rival gang.
Yates was responsible for providing the gun that killer Mercer used to shoot the schoolboy. Yates then helped Mercer destroy the gun.
Following the shooting, Mercer doused himself with petrol, burned his clothes and hid the murder weapon. The gun, an old Smith & Wesson, was found hidden in a loft a month after the killing.
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Eight months after the shooting, in April 2008, Merseyside Police confirmed they had arrested and charged 11 people in connection with the case.
In December that year, Mercer was found guilty of murder and other members of his gang - Yates, Nathan Quinn, Gary Kays, Melvin Coy and Boy 'M' - who couldn't be named due to his age - were convicted of assisting an offender.
During the trial, Yates was heard to callously say: "All this fuss over a kid."
He was jailed for seven years in 2009, however this was later increased to 12 years after the sentence was deemed 'unduly lenient' by the Court of Appeal.
He was released in 2014 but was arrested two years later, while in Scotland, for drug offences and was sent back to jail for breaching the conditions of his licence.
Last night a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said last night: "We are aware he is due to be released tomorrow."
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They added it was an Independent Parole Board decision and that the former inmate will be moving to 'approved premises'.
As conditions of his release he is no longer allowed in the Croxteth and Norris Green areas of Liverpool, or to Dundee where he was linked to a number of drug deals.
The family of Rhys have been informed of his release.
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Source: The Mirror
Featured Image Credit: PA/Merseyside Police