A teenager has begun legal action against the Daily Star after the tabloid accused her of calling killer Sean Mercer, the man convicted of killing 11-year-old Liverpool schoolboy Rhys Jones, a hero.
Mercer, 18, was jailed for a minimum of 22 years last week for shooting and killing Jones as he walked home from football practice in August last year.
Kelly Marshall has engaged David Price Solicitors over a front page article in the Daily Star on 18 December headed: “YOU’RE SCUM, Rhys killer is my hero says girlfriend, 17” and a further article titled: “Rhys Killer’s Mouthy Moll”.
Marshall denies she is the girlfriend of Mercer and says she is not a member of the “Croxteth Crew” gang to which Mercer belonged.
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According to Price, the Daily Star story appeared to have been based on a piece which appeared on Sky News.
Marshall denies that the article on the Sky News website was an accurate reflection of her conversation with a reporter, and also complains that the article in the Daily Star gives the impression that the interview was given the day after his conviction, which she said was not the case.
Price said that the article has had a “devastating effect” on his client, who he claims has been threatened with physical violence and death threats. He said that no attempt had been made to contact Marshall before publication.
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Marshall is seeking an apology, a retraction in the paper, and is asking for a sum of money to be donated to a charity of her choice.
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