21 November 2023 , 15:06
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The mother of Ashley Dale has slammed her attackers over their "betrayal" after she discovered they knew her on a "friendly basis."
Ashley, 28, was gunned down in her own home in Leinster Road, Old Swan, Liverpool in the early hours of August 21 last year. Her mother, Julie Dale, said some of the defendants had even been to events with the council worker.
Ms Dale described the seven-week murder trial as "difficult" after she listened to the defendants "lie" about their involvement with the "horrific" shooting. The heartbroken mum said: "Some of them had been with her in Glastonbury and stuff like that."
Ashley Dale was a council worker (PA)
Ashley was killed in August last year (PA)She added: "I didn't know any of the defendants personally but even down to some of Ashley's friends as well, we've heard details that some of these people chose not to give witness statements and not to speak up and that's difficult. And I understand people are scared and I do get that because one of your friends has just been killed in the most horrific way. To sit and hear those details and to know that these people have not spoke up for her, it's difficult."
James Witham, Sean Zeisz, Niall Barry and Joseph Peers have all been found guilty of murdering the 28-year-old. They were also found guilty of conspiracy to murder Ms Dale's boyfriend Lee Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, namely a Skorpion submachine gun, and ammunition with intent to endanger life. Ian Fitzgibbon was cleared of these three charges while a sixth defendant, Kallum Radford, was acquitted of assisting an offender.
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Julie sat through the murder trial and listened to the defendants claim they knew Ashley on a "personal level", reports Liverpool Echo. The jury heard Zeisz claim he had "no beef" with Ashley's boyfriend and that he had been in her house drinking just weeks before the shooting. Adam Davis, KC, who represented Zeisz said: "Mr Zeisz had beef with one person alone, and that was Dusty. No beef with Lee. No falling out with Lee. No evidence for the falling out with Lee. Leinster Road? Ashley? It’s just nonsense. There's no involvement of any gun for Sean Zeisz. no evidence."
Sean Zeisz, Niall Barry, Joseph Peers and James Witham were found guilty (left to right) (PA)The court also heard that Niall Barry claimed he had "always got on with Ashley." When he took the stand, Barry said: "She was a lovely girl. I would never condone going to someone’s house. I had always said if you have a problem, you would go to someone and deal with it in the street. I’d never take any problems to anyone's houses."
Julie continued: "The difficult thing is, most of the defendants, pretty much all of them, knew Ashley and have known her on a friendly basis. Never mind to do what they did, but then to get up and lie about it and talk about her. Hearing them mention her name just makes me so angry. You’ve done this and you’re getting up there and you’re speaking about her and then you’re covering your tracks and everything else. These people, not the defendants but certain people, are meant to have loved Ashley and you’ve just gone and lied and lied like her life was worth nothing, ‘just save my own back’ and that’s it."