Four men jailed for life for murder of Ashley Dale in Liverpool
The 28-year-old was shot in her own home in August 2022
Last updated 22nd Nov 2023
Four men have been jailed for a total of 173 years for the murder of Ashley Dale in Liverpool.
James Witham, 41, of Ashbury, Road, Huyton, Sean Zeisz, 28, of Longreach Road, Huyton, Niall Barry, 26, of Moscow Drive, Tuebrook, and Joseph Peers, 29, of Woodlands Road, Roby, were found guilty on Monday after a seven week-trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Peers, who was described in court as a "foot soldier" in the murder of Ashley has been given a minimum term of 41 years.
Witham was jailed for a minimum of 43 years, Barry was handed a minimum of 47 years for his "malign presence" in the killing.
And finally Zeisz was sentenced to a minimum of 42 years for his role in organising and encouraging the shooting.
All four men were also found guilty of conspiracy to murder Ashley's boyfriend Lee Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, a Skorpion sub-machine gun, and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
It took the jury around nine hours to reach their verdicts.
Ashley was killed on Leinster Road in Old Swan in the early hours of 21 August 2022 after Witham burst into her home and opened fire.
The court heard that Harrison was the intended target of the shooting, but he wasn't at home when Witham broke in.
The prosecution argued that Witham - who admitted being the gunman - and his driver, Peers, were sent to the house on the order of Niall Barry, Sein Zeisz and Ian Fitzgibbon to kill Harrison and 'leave no witnesses.'
At around 11:40pm on 20 August 2022, Ashley's car - which was parked outside her house - had its tyres slashed, with the prosecution claiming it was to lure the occupants outside.
Witham then kicked the front door down and starting firing bullets from a Skorpion sub-machine gun.
Ashley screamed at him to get out and fled towards the back door of the house, but she was shot in the abdomen and died a short time later.
The court heard that the killing happened after a feud between Barry and Harrison was reignited at Glastonbury Festival, where Zeisz was assaulted.
Throughout the trial, the court heard voice notes from Ashley - which painted a picture of the feud and the increasing anxiety she felt in the weeks leading up to her death.
Senior investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Cath Cummings, said:
"The actions of James Witham on that day had a devastating and widespread impact.
"Ashley, an innocent women, lost her life in the most brutal way at the hands of Witham. That was compounded by the fact that she was alone in her own home, where she should have felt and been safe, when she was fatally shot.
"Her family have to live with that knowledge every day.
"This has been a complex and challenging investigation and it was only thanks to the painstaking work of the investigation team and the community who rallied round and pointed us in the right direction in the early stages that we were able to bring about this successful prosecution.
"The evidential material we had was significant from cell site analysis to DNA and trawling through hundreds of hours of CCTV.
"We also seized thousands of exhibits, of which over 300 were digital devices. By far the most important was Ashley’s phone and the voice notes she sent to her friends describing what was going on in her life and the lead up to her death.
"I am pleased that the jury saw through their blatant lies"
"The four men who have been found guilty have not shown an ounce of remorse for their actions which led to Ashley’s death and instead pleaded not guilty forcing her family to endure a lengthy trial where they have had to relive Ashley’s last moments over and over again. I am pleased that the jury saw through their blatant lies and how they conspired together.
"I would like to pay tribute to Ashley’s family for the dignity and composure they showed throughout the trial. These four men now face a considerable length of time behind bars and while that will never bring Ashley back I hope that, after over a year of waiting for justice, they can move to the next chapter of their lives and properly grieve their loss.
"I would like to thank the investigation team, the family liaison officers, the officers and staff of Merseyside Police and the Crown Prosecution Service and lead counsel who were all vital to ensuring we got the right result.
"I hope this sends a message that serious and organised crime will not be tolerated on the streets of Merseyside and we will hunt down the people who are responsible and put them behind bars."
A fifth man, Ian Fitzgibbon, was found not guilty of murder and another man, Kallum Radford, was cleared of assisting an offender.
Senior Crown Prosecutor James Allison, of CPS Mersey Cheshire’s Complex Casework Unit, said:
"This has been a long and difficult prosecution. We had to piece together many different types of evidence to form one overarching and clear picture for the jury.
"This was an appalling crime, where separate disputes between the defendants, Lee Harrison, and his associates in the Hillsiders gang, escalated into a deadly feud.
"Society will not tolerate this"
"This is the tragic result of gun crime – a young woman who was not involved in any criminality found dead in her own home. Society will not tolerate this, and the Crown Prosecution Service and Merseyside Police have worked hard to bring the defendants in this case to justice.
“On behalf of the CPS we would like to thank the police, Prosecution Counsel and, most of all, Ashley’s family for the courage and dignity they have shown throughout."
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