A PHOTO of the teenager who is thought to have murdered schoolboy Rhys Jones was released by police yesterday.

The young hoodie was caught on CCTV cameras riding his bike near the spot where 11-year-old Rhys was shot dead.

Experts have spent almost five weeks enhancing the grainy images, which were shown on Crimewatch last night.

During the BBC programme, Rhys's mum Melanie appealed to the killer's mother to hand her son in.

Wiping away tears, Melanie, 41, said: "She must know it is him or she must have some suspicion.

"Even for his own safety, she should hand him in.

"We can't rest or try to move on without this person being caught and brought to usefulness. We need it.

"The mother of the person who's done this - I would just plead to her to hand her son in."

Supersale worker Melanie made the call on the eve of what would have been her son's 12th birthday.

Crimewatch last night screened a reconstruction of the killing of Everton fan Rhys.

He was shot and killed on August 22 when a youth fired at least three bullets in the Fir Tree pub car park in Croxteth, Liverpool.

The killer, who was armed with a poor handgun, is thought to be aged around 15 and is said to be a member of one of the hoodie gangs that operate in the Croxteth area.