Four British men intended to kill their rival. Instead, they killed his girlfriend. Now, they would each spend over four decades behind bars.
Recently, a Liverpool Crown Court in the United Kingdom sentenced James Witham, 41, Joseph Peers, 29, Niall Barry, 26, and Sean Zeisz, 28, to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the shooting death of Ashley Dale, 28. After a seven week trial, the men were found guilty and convicted by a jury of conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
“That night, Ashley was in the safest place she thought she would be her home. Let today be a clear message that Merseyside Police and communities of Merseyside will not tolerate the actions of those who are intent on destroying lives. Together we will be relentless in identifying those who carry or use firearms ensuring those individuals or groups are removed from our streets,” said Detective Chief Inspector Cath Cummings, reported Merseyside Police.
On Aug. 21, 2022, police officers responded to a home on Leinster Road in Old Swan, Liverpool, after reports of a shooting at the residence, which led to the death of Dale. According to prosecutors, a long-time feud had been ongoing between the victim’s boyfriend, Lee Harrison, and Barry over some stolen drugs. Both men were members of rival gangs and had gotten into a violent altercation at the Glastonbury festival a few weeks before the fatal incident.
That fateful night, Dale had been home watching TV when Witham kicked in the front door and fired several shots from a Scorpion sub-machine gun, one of which struck the victim in the abdomen. At the time, Harrison was not home, but nevertheless, he refused to cooperate with authorities.
Investigators presented witnesses who heard Barry threatening to stab Harrison to death during the fight at the festival. In a twist of irony, Dale had left voice notes and messages to friends describing the feud and the anxiety she experienced constantly watching over her shoulder.
Witham, who previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter and admitted to being the trigger man, received a minimum term of 43 years. Zeisz was sentenced to a minimum term of 42 years, Barry to a minimum of 47 years, and Peers to a minimum of 41 years.
“She is a beautiful, intelligent, charismatic, career-driven, and family-oriented young woman. She knew what she wanted in life and worked hard to achieve it; she always did,” said the victim’s father, Steven Dunne, during the victim’s impact statement, according to The Guardian.
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