Strangeway’s prisoner’s insta account active just days after being jailed

Posts have appeared on the Instagram account of a man who was jailed at Merseyside Crown Court after he shot a 15-year-old in the neck.

Rio Jones, aged 19, was sentenced to serve life with a minimum of 16 1/2 years after a stray bullet hit a schoolgirl in the neck that was intended for a rival gang member.

A picture appeared on the Instagram account of Rio Jones which is believed to show him wearing a balaclava.

The post was captioned "Guess whos back RJ's back it was me who shot up. New music coming very soon run this up" along with the hashtags #freerj, #hmpliving, #cataliving and #starredup.

Currently, it's unknown whether the post was shared by Jones from inside HMP Manchester or whether it's a friend running the account on the outside.

The picture appears to be an old one having first been shared on the instagram account back in November 2021, which was more than three months before the shooting.

On March 1st last year Jones was chasing Shakur Watson, both riding bikes. Rio Jones opened fire while riding his bike and fired six shots. One hit Watson, and another hit a 15-year-old schoolgirl in the neck, who was waiting with her 14-year-old friend just past the target.

After being rushed to Alder Hey Hospital, where she stayed for 10 days, the youngster was left with shattered vertebrae and lung damage.

Watson, who had been pursued by Rio Jones, continued to ride for some distance. He knocked on the door of a house and asked the occupant for help. The residents drove Watson to The Royal Liverpool Hospital where he received surgery for a shattered wrist bone after a bullet struck him.

In the aftermath, Jones disposed of his bike, clothes, and gun and none of these items have ever been located or seen since.

Jones relayed on the witness stand that he had suffered stabbing and other violent incidents in the past from the rival gang.