Lying mum Janette Mercer has been locked up for a second time after trying go conceal one of her sons' crimes.

Mercer, 63, was jailed for three years in 2009 for perverting the course of justice, having lied to detectives investigating the murder of Rhys Jones, after her son Sean Mercer, then aged 16, shot and killed the 11-year-old in August 2007.

Mercer was imprisoned again at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday (February 6) after helping another of her offspring, Joseph Mercer, to remain at large while he was wanted for dealing drugs.

READ MORE: Rhys Jones – what happened to little boy shot dead and where are his parents now?

Charlotte Kenny, prosecuting, told the court that his mother "knew he was wanted by police" but allowed him to stay at her home on Daisy Street, Kirkdale, Liverpool, during a six-month period in 2019 and 2020 "to impede his apprehension".

Police visited the address on several occasions while looking for Joseph Mercer, but Janette Mercer claimed she only spoke to her son rarely when he called her on a withheld number.

Joseph Mercer was eventually located at the property by the force on June 13, 2020, and it was "evident he had been living there" as well as spending periods at the Malmaison Hotel in Liverpool city centre.

His clothes were found in a wardrobe and his identification was located in a chest of drawers, while cannabis was also seized from the bedroom where he had been staying.

He was jailed for 30 months in October 2020, having been caught peddling heroin and crack cocaine from a hotel room in Bournemouth, with the then 25-year-old admitting possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply.

His mum tried to cover up a vital piece of evidence by lying to police when they asked her about bicycles her son owned or had access to.

On Monday, Mercer sobbed in the dock and dabbed her eyes with a tissue as she was sentenced to nine months in prison.

Clare Ashcroft, defending, said that her client had been freed from jail in late 2010 and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder the following year.

Ms Ashcroft added: "Ms Mercer was and is of such character – impaired by her mental disorder, her depression, her anxiety and her PTSD – that she was unable to stand back and rationalise what she should do when confronted by the police.

"She had her son manipulating her, whether wilfully or otherwise – she simply didn’t have the fortitude to see clearly through the situation."

To get more stories from Daily Star delivered straight to your inbox sign up to one of our free newsletters here.

Ms Ashcroft continued: “She has told me, quite frankly, that there were times when the police spoke to her and she felt she couldn’t tell Joseph because she was frightened of his reaction."

Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: "Joseph Mercer is your youngest child," adding: "His behaviour towards you was marked with frequent violence.

"The prosecution have disclosed numerous incidents where you had been assaulted and your house had been damaged by uncontrollable outbursts of aggression from him.

"On several occasions, police made enquiries at your home as to his whereabouts. He had evidently been living there.

“You did lie however, I am satisfied, because you were terrified about what Joseph might do if you had told the truth.

"Assisting an offender is a serious offence, striking at the heart of the criminal justice system, and the public needs to know that prison will follow."

READ NOW:

• Police warned of 'another Rhys Jones' weeks before murder of tragic Olivia Pratt-Korbel
• Two killers including Rhys Jones' shooter 'woo same woman promising WAG lifestyle'
• Rhys Jones’s killer 'making FORTUNE as drugs kingpin in prison'

Source: Read Full Article