Ashley Dale's mum has spoken of the 'betrayal' she feels after discovering the personal connection her daughter had with her killers. James Witham, Sean Zeisz, Niall Barry and Joseph Peers were yesterday (November 20) found guilty of murdering Julie Dale's 28-year-old daughter.
Council worker Ashley was shot dead at her home on Leinster Road in Old Swan, Liverpool, in the early hours of August 21, 2022. Julie opened up to the Liverpool Echo following a seven-week murder trial which she sat through.
She says it is 'difficult' to comprehend how most of the defendants could 'get up and lie' about what happened in court. The grieving mum says she was also left with a sense of 'betrayal', as some of the defendants knew her daughter on a 'personal level'.
READ MORE: The Ashley Dale killer who could not hide his role as head of toxic organised crime group
READ MORE: Inquest into death of Falaq Babar, 11, HALTED as police investigate 'new evidence'
"Some of them had been with her in Glastonbury and stuff like that," said Julie. "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 up for her, it's difficult."
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.
"That’s not who he had beef with. He was drinking there a couple of weeks before, no issue. It just doesn’t make sense. There’s no involvement of any gun for Sean Zeisz. No evidence."
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."
Reflecting on the trial, Julie added: "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."
Following the trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the following men were found guilty of the murder of Ashley Dale, conspiracy to murder Lee Harrison, conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon with intent to endanger life (namely a Skorpion submachine gun and ammunition):
Sean Zeisz, 28, of Longreach Road, Huyton
James Witham, 41, of Ashbury Road, Huyton
Joseph Peers, 29, of Woodlands Road, Roby
Niall Barry, 26, of Moscow Drive, Tuebrook.
All four will be sentenced on Wednesday, November 22. Ian Fitzgibbon, 28, of Heigham Gardens, St Helens, was found not guilty of the same three offences. A sixth man, 26-year-old Kallum Radford, of Trentham Road, Kirkby, was found not guilty of assisting an offender.
