Man charged with murder after County Durham shooting
60 year old Barry Dawson was shot in his home in Stanley
Last updated 1st May 2025
A man has been charged with murder following the death of Barry Dawson.
Officers were called to an address in Elm Street, South Moor, at about 5.20pm on Saturday, April 5 following reports of a disturbance.
Mr Dawson, 60, was found to have been shot and despite the best efforts of paramedics, he was sadly declared dead at the scene.
A postmortem examination revealed he died of a single gunshot wound.
Kevin Dorward, 38, of Annfield Plain, has been charged with murder.
Michaela Hetherington, 35, of Annfield Plain, has been charged with perverting the course of justice.
Both have been remanded in custody and will appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court in the morning (Thursday, April 10).
Officers have today arrested a 21-year-old man on suspicion of murder. A 20-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman have also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
All three are currently in police custody.
A 35-strong team of detectives from our major crime team continue to work around the clock, with support from armed response officers, specialist crime scene examiners, search teams, and neighbourhood officers.
Several lines of enquiry are being pursued and the community will have noticed there has been significant police activity and they can expect this activity to continue for a significant period of time.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Durham Constabulary on 101, or 999 in an emergency, quoting incident number 302 of April 5.
Footage and information can be shared with our investigators via https://mipp.police.uk/operation/1101010119Q11-PO1