Five men are accused of murdering Knowsley Council worker shot dead aged 28 in her own home
James Witham, of Ashbury Road in Huyton, 28-year-old Sean Zeisz, of Longreach Road in Huyton, 26-year-old Niall Barry, of Moscow Drive in Tuebrook, 28-year-old Joseph Peers, of Woodlands Road in Roby, and 28-year-old Ian Fitzgibbon, of Heigham Gardens in St Helens, have pleaded not guilty to murdering the Knowsley Council worker, conspiracy to murder her boyfriend Lee Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, namely a Skorpion submachine gun, and ammunition with intent to endanger...
Mr Tarpey said there were then "no records" showing activity on the device between 11.11pm on August 20 and 12.43am on August 21, when it was suggested "the phone was turned back on or reconnected to the network". Both his and Witham's phones were said to have been disconnected from the network at 12.35am, around the time which Ms Dale was shot dead.
It came after officers were called to "reports of a domestic incident" which was said to be entirely "unrelated to this case". PC Ward said of his attendance at the scene: "I immediately noticed a vehicle parked next to the house. His client is accused of taking possession of the car from Peers and arranging for it to be stored at the address, the home of a woman called Abbie Jevins.
The court also heard how Ashley's boyfriend and his friend were alleged members of an organised crime group known as the "Hillsiders". Her partner Lee Harrison, known as 'Saz', and would-be rapper Jordan Thompson, aka 'Dusty', were described as being associated with the "active" gang based in the Hillside and Longview area of Huyton.
Ashley answered: "Well that’s what Lee is saying that’s why he hasn’t really done anything coz he knows Lee has everyone backing him and they aren’t assed." The officer confirmed he had personally had "numerous" discussions with Thompson. When asked why he was nicknamed Dusty, PC Farquhar said: "He stated it was because he leaves people for Dust."
Mr Greaney also asked: "Did that confirm you in a view you held already that Jordan Thompson went by the name of Dusty or Dust?". PC Farquhar answered: "That is correct."The jury were played videos of Radford's interviews with detectives. The first two came on October 11 and 12 last year after he handed himself in at Copy Lane Police Station.
Radford stated that he knew Ms Jevins was due to go on holiday to Tenerife for a week and called her to ask whether they could use her driveway, and that he was offered money. He then got into the passenger seat and directed the driver to the address. "They said they’d be back in a week and they never came back. That was the last week in August, just before Abbie went away to Tenerife."
He denied having known Barry or Witham. When Peers' name was put to him, Radford said: "I know him through a friend.Radford said he was introduced to Thomas Peers through another friend who had met him in Turkey. He added that he had met Joseph Peers "once or twice, years ago" and had been to his house "about three times"."Is he Zest then? That’s the only thing I thought I heard someone say in the car.
"I’m no commenting to it all. You’re trying to trip me up with the questions, I’m telling the truth. " He was then interviewed for a third time on January 31 this year, telling detectives: "I was very scared when I first come in. My head wasn’t all there when I came in for my first interview."I’ve realised if I tell the truth I’ll still be able to see my family. Obviously I hope the girl gets some closure for what happened to her."
He added that he "kept making excuses up and didn't move it". Of his first set of interviews, Radford said: "I was scared because I found out what the crime was when Abbie got arrested. "He was saying his mates been nicked over the Encros and he’s paid 20 grand for it. I said 'you’re gonna have to come and get it'."
"He was arrested after me, wasn’t he? So it’s not like he’s not known, he’s had an inkling, obviously known what it was about but not given me the heads up or done nothing. "He’d phone off the jail phone, we’d have a chat with him. His brother used to come down and be 'alright lads'." Peers was said to have subsequently asked him to move the car. He added: "I started to think it was robbed."Something isn’t right. Why isn’t he coming and getting the car?
Witham then made further comments saying he was “being stitched up, it’s not right” and asked to speak to his solicitor, saying “did not want to come across as a grass”. He added: "It was not my car, it was David McCaig’s.The jury also heard evidence about cash deposits into Witham's bank account belonging to Witham. Mr Langhorn said detectives found there had only been seven deposits of cash throughout 2022.
Zeisz said in this account that he had been to Chan's chip shop on the evening of August 20 before being invited to watch the boxing at a flat on Pilch Lane by Peers, with several others having been present by 10pm. His statement added: "One of the others who was at the flat owed me money, which I had been chasing for over two weeks.
"I called him around two or three times, but he didn’t answer. I then tried to call a number of friends locally to see if they would get some cigarettes. Zeisz then gave no further comment under questioning, but "sniggered when it was suggested he’d let his ex partner’s tyres down". His legal representative then said that he "was not in the country at the time".
Ms Rawsthorne said: "He just doesn’t want to engage with the police, he doesn’t want to help the police. He said he had no beef with these people and that he can’t believe it’s about an argument from years ago." This journey had taken him "past the crime scene" and the "taped off" Leinster Road. Mr Greaney asked: "He had nonetheless travelled on to Longview Heights with his friends?"Harrison was said to have been initially "reluctant to name who he had been with" on that evening, but later said a man called Shaun Slattery had been in the taxi with him.
Police went to the property once more on August 30, but he "simply refused to engage". Harrison "again said he didn't believe there was any threat to him" and said his iPhone has "gone". Harrison was said to have asked "have Zest and Branch not been charged?" at this point, "Zest" being a reference to Sean Zeisz. He also told Mr Rawsthorne that Witham "was an old mate" and described Peers as "an electrician from Roby".
Stanley Reiz KC, representing Barry, put to Mr Rawsthorne that Harrison had contacted the police in the early hours of August 21 after being informed of the fatal shooting by his sister. He added: "Every time you visited him, he spoke to you."Mr Reiz stated that Harrison was merely "not telling him what he wanted to hear", but Mr Rawsthorne replied that much of the information he had given was "not correct".
The jury were also told, however, that no shooting had been linked to those messages, no firearm was recovered from Barry and police were unable to identify "Gibbs".
Mr Greaney said Barry and Witham “both had possession of and use of the Kyle Line” on several occasions. He also said that, on July 8 2022, Barry had contacted someone saved in his phone as "Jamie" and offered to sell an Audi car to him. He replied: "I was at home watching the Usyk fight with me dad. I made my mum a cup of tea, I was chilling on her bed for a bit, having a chat, before I come down and watched the fight."Peers responded: “No. I never took part in any plan to murder Lee Harrison."Peers said: "No reason. He was a nice lad, I never had no trouble with him in my life."Peers: "No, never had any disputes with Lee. Always got on, I’ve known him for time like, never been any trouble, ever.
Peers said he had been friendly with Zeisz, Barry, Fitzgibbon and Witham, but began hanging around with them at the Pilch Lane flat more often towards the end of July 2022. He told the jury: "I started visiting the flat, I reckon just around the funeral time. Peers said he had "never heard" of Thompson and had no idea what a "Hillsider" was. Messages between Ashley and her friends, recovered from her phone after her death, described how Barry had been "on some pure rampage" after an old feud between him and Harrison had flared up following Glastonbury.
But Peers said that Witham unexpectedly diverted to the house of a man called David McCaig and picked up cannabis from another man, Barry Westall, before he was dropped off close to his mum's house. The vehicle activated an ANPR camera near to this address at 11.07pm, and his phone was then used for the first time in two hours in the vicinity of his home at 11.09pm.
Peers said he watched the announcement of the result, which Mr Wright said was at "approximately nine minutes past midnight". His counsel asked: "What were you then intending to do?"Mr Wright said that his phone was cell siting in the area of his home at 12.43am when Zeisz attempted to call him. Peers told the court: "My dad is lazy, he never put it on charge when I’ve gone upstairs.
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