THE trial which led to the killer of Rhys Jones being jailed for life has shone a spotlight on a most depressing and terrifying part of society.

It has given us an insight into a world of lawless teenage gangs ruling estates with guns and with a total disregard for life.

Sean Mercer and his pack of cowardly cohorts care not a jot that they took the life of an innocent little boy returning home from football practice in Liverpool.

Cocky to the end, the gang members laughed and joked during a trial which was both heartbreaking and, eventually, satisfying for Rhys’s loved ones.

His family face a lifetime of sorrow over the loss of their son, but at least they now have the consolation that his killer is locked away.

Of course, it is right that we turn our attention to the causes of this appalling crime: the lack of discipline and respect which must always take root within the family unit.

But it is just as important that we underline the positives to be found in this tragedy: the way the city of Liverpool united in grief; the brilliance of the painstaking police operation which finally snared the murderer; and the remarkable courage of Rhys’s family.

While the sneering Sean Mercer was being taken away to begin a life sentence, his victim’s father, Stephen Jones, supported by his wife, Melanie, was dignity personified.

He spoke of his family’s debt to the police, the prosecutors, and to the people of Liverpool for their “immeasurable kindness”.

The evil which exists in the world had been laid bare at Liverpool Crown Court. But we should take great comfort from the fact that kindness had the last word.