John Fahey

A legal aid row threatening the start of the Rhys Jones murder trial has been settled, it has been reported.

The 17-year-old defendant accused of shooting dead the schoolboy was left without a QC a month before the trial was due to start - and his solicitor was working for free.

The problem occurred because the government's Legal Services Commission (LSC) deemed the court case a "very high costs case" and insisted the defendant be represented by lawyers agreeing to work for a fixed fee.

But it was reported that the LSC had made an exception.

A statement to the broadcaster said it would revert to the old pay structure for the boy's QC.

It read: "This will ensure that the trial proceeds as scheduled and that each defendant has appropriate well prepared representation in court."

Rhys was shot dead walking home from football training in Croxteth Park, Liverpool, on August 22 last year.

The defendant will stand trial with six others accused of assisting him.