Ashley Dale: Man gave 'no comment' interview during murder probe

Ashley Dale worked as an environmental health officer for Knowsley Council

A man accused of assisting offenders following the murder of a woman told police he gave "no comment" answers so he did not "get hurt".

Ashley Dale, 28, was shot at her home in Old Swan, Liverpool, in the early hours of 21 August last year.

A trial has heard she was not the intended target as a gunman burst into the home in search of her partner.

Kallum Radford, 26, denies assisting an offender by taking possession of the car used in the shooting.

It is also claimed he arranged for the vehicle to be stored at an address.

Five men are on trial accused of Ms Dale's murder.

James Witham, 41, along with Niall Barry, 26, Sean Zeisz, 28, Ian Fitzgibbon, 28, and Joseph Peers, 29, deny the murder, which is alleged to have happened following a feud with her partner Lee Harrison.

Mr Witham admits Ms Dale's manslaughter but claims he did not know she was there when he fired shots inside her Leinster Road home.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how Mr Radford was arrested after the car used in the shooting was discovered on his friend Abbie Jevins's drive in St Helens, Merseyside, last October.

Ms Dale was found in the back garden of her home on Leinster Road

Mr Radford initially told police he had been stopped in the street by two men he did not know, who paid him £100 to store the car, jurors heard.

In a second police interview, which was played to the court, Mr Radford answered "no comment" to a number of questions from officers.

He told them: "You're trying to trip me up on questions, that's why I'm not commenting everything.

"You are trying to get justice for that girl and I hope you do get justice but I have got to go 'no comment' so I don't get hurt."

The officer asked if he could explain that and he answered: "No comment."

In his first interview on 11 October, Mr Radford, who was accompanied by his sister as an appropriate adult, said he was walking to his friend's house in St Helens "to get stoned" in late August when a car approached him and the driver asked if he knew a driveway or garage where they could park.

'Nickname'

He told officers the man said someone was "trying to smash their car up" and he wanted somewhere to park it for a week.

Mr Radford said he called his friend, Ms Jevins, and when she agreed to store the car he got into the vehicle with the men and travelled there.

He told officers: "The lad said 'there's £100 for you, lad'."

Mr Radford said he thought the passenger of the car had a name like "Zest".

The court has heard defendant Sean Zeisz uses the nickname Zest.

Mr Radford also told officers he knew defendant Joseph Peers.

But he answered no comment in his second interview when asked about calls between him and Peers in August and September last year.

The trial continues.

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