Rhys was walking home from football practice on August 22, 2007, when he was shot in the back when Mercer, a 16-year-old member of the Crocky Crew, started shooting at members of the rival Strand gang.
Mercer was tried in December 2008 of murdering 11-year-old Rhys and found guilty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 22 years.
In the concluding episode of the four-part drama, Mercer (played by Paddy Rowan) was seen laughing and joking at his own trial with fellow gang members.
Now a source close to the killer has revealed that he feels he has been unfairly represented by the show and that what happened to Rhys was “an accident”.
The insider told The Daily Star: “He reckons he’s been really hard done by. He has moaned he didn’t want the show on TV, had nothing to do with it and since it started he has gone from a jobbing prisoner to Public Enemy No1.
“In his mind it’s put his life at risk. He says he knows what he did was stupid and wrong and he can never make up for it. But he insists it was an accident and he didn’t mean to do it.”
Mercer, who is now 26, is being protected around the clock by officers in Frankland Prison in County Durham where he is serving his sentence.
The insider claimed that inmates have been encouraging him to take legal action over the series but that he is unsure whether it would only make matters worse.
The source added: “He thinks the show has made him look like the most evil man in Britain when he isn’t. He says one of the characters on TV doesn’t even exist in real life.”
“His mates inside reckon he should make the most of it and sue. Some say they know lawyers itching to take the case. He’s thought about it but thinks that could make him look even worse.
“He fears he will be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life thanks to all this.”
Daily Express :: TV and Radio Feed
