Ashley Dale: No evidence to link accused to firearms, jury hears

The trial has heard Ashley Dale was not the intended target of the shooting

Evidence about a man accused of murdering a woman "completely destroys" the prosecution case against him, a trial has been told.

Ashley Dale, 28, was shot dead at her home in Old Swan, Liverpool, in August 2022.

Liverpool Crown Court has heard Ms Dale was not the intended target of the five men accused of murdering her.

The attack was meant as a warning to her boyfriend, Lee Harrison, who was not at the house at the time.

Sean Seisz is alleged to have been one of the organisers of the shooting, which the Crown said arose out of a dispute between Mr Harrison and one of the other defendants, Niall Barry.

Mr Seisz, Mr Barry and Ian Fitzgibbon all deny murder.

James Witham has admitted he was the gunman and has pleaded guilty to manslaughter, denying murder.

Joseph Peers is alleged to have been the getaway driver and also denies murder.

The court has heard the dispute flared after an associate of Mr Harrison's, Jordan Thompson, attacked Mr Seisz at Glastonbury last year and Mr Seisz's girlfriend, Olivia McDowell, began associating with Mr Thompson.

It is alleged the shooting arose from a dispute between Ms Dale's boyfriend Lee Harrison (left) and Niall Barry (right)

In his closing speech on behalf of Mr Seisz, Adam Davis KC, said he accepted he was a drug dealer, "not a saint", but that should play no part in the jury's decision making process.

Mr Davis said: "Sympathy, anger or dislike have no place here."

He said the evidence showed Mr Seisz had "beef" with Mr Thompson, not with Mr Harrison and Mr Seisz declined to take sides in the alleged dispute between Mr Harrison and Mr Barry.

Mr Davis added the only evidence connecting Mr Seisz to the alleged getaway car was from police interview with Kallum Radford, the man accused of hiding the car, and Mr Radford withdrew that claim in a later police interview.

The barrister said although Mr Seisz had made threats to Ms McDowell, they were empty threats, he was "like a boy on the playground pulling a girl's pigtails".

Mr Davis added there was no evidence linking Mr Seisz to firearms.

Meanwhile, in Stanley Reiz KC's closing speech on behalf of Mr Barry urged the jury not to use their shock at what happened to send a message that gun crime would not be tolerated in Liverpool.

He said: "Emotion rarely brings clarity of judgement."

Mr Reiz said: "The scar left on this city by gun crime runs very deep. You [the jury] may feel you've had enough."

But he said the case was "too important to decide on sympathy or prejudice".

The trial continues.

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