These are the latest ECHO headlines this morning.
All the lies Ava White's murderer told to cover his tracks
The schoolboy who murdered Ava White in Liverpool City Centre told a mountain of lies to cover his tracks.
Ava was knifed in the neck in on Church Alley in Liverpool city centre on November 25, 2021 after an argument about him filming her on Snapchat. Her killer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for a life sentence with a minimum of 13 years.
During the 12-day trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the jury heard how the 14-year-old killer, only known as Boy A, told a number of lies to try and cover his tracks. Prosecuting barrister Ms Charlotte Newell, said Boy A, now 15, originally told police he was not in the city centre on the evening of Ava’s death and was at a friend’s house playing Call Of Duty on a PlayStation 4.
READ MORE: Ava White murderer, 15, will not be named as judge refuses to lift restrictions
Ms Newell said: “Boy A, of course, had lied about where he was”, then he “quite ruthlessly blamed a real person”. “Boy A tells a lie until it’s proved wrong, then he moves onto another one."
The court heard previously that the defendant admitted being in the city centre in his second police interview, once he was shown CCTV. Boy A had agreed he only accepted he had been in town because police had CCTV footage proving it.
Read the full story here.
'It's getting worse' as third shooting in one month horrifies city
A third shooting in one month in Merseyside has sent shockwaves across the region.
The most recent incident happened on Sunday at around 7.15pm when a man was shot multiple times in the legs as he walked on a street in Croxteth. The 23 year-old man was in Cubert Road when an unknown offender is reported to have fired shots in his direction, hitting him multiple times in the legs.
It is thought the offender may have been on a pedal cycle which made towards Croxteth Hall Lane. The man remains in hospital where he is being treated for his injuries, which are not believed to be life threatening.
READ MORE: Ava White's mum explains touching story behind photo of daughter on hoodie
An investigation is underway and forensic, house-to-house and CCTV enquires have been carried out in the local area. Detective Inspector John Mullen said: “We are continuing to appeal for witnesses or anyone with information about this incident to come forward.
“We know the impact reckless incidents like this have on our communities but we believe that members of the public are also key to solving this and taking criminals off our streets. If you have information about who was responsible for last night’s shooting, or know anyone who carries, stores or uses firearms, then please contact us so that we can take positive action."
Read the full story here.
Covid rules as thousands told not to take tests even if they have symptoms
As Covid-19 infections continue to rise across the UK, millions of people are thought to currently be infected with the virus.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that almost 4% of the English population had tested positive for coronavirus at the end of June, with higher figures (4.93%, 5.36%, and 5.94%) in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, respectively.
The number of hospital admissions is also increasing amid new BA.4 and BA.5 covid variants. And there are no longer any restrictions around the virus in the UK, and as we learn to live with covid.
READ MORE: What does a faint line on a covid test mean and when you will recover
Previously, lateral flow tests (LFTs) were given out free of charge from the government, meaning people could routinely check whether they have the virus. Now, tests can only be obtained from pharmacies and other stores - for a fee.
In a bid to limit the spread of the virus, many of us are still taking regular LFTs, despite having to pay for them. But a huge group of people shouldn't take them unless told to by a medical professional, according to the latest government advice.
Find out more here.
