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Ashley Dale, a 28-year-old dedicated council worker, had her life abruptly cut short as she became the victim of an act of violence on August 21, 2022. Four people—James Witham (41), Sean Zeisz (28), Niall Barry (26), and Joseph Peers (29) burst into her house looking for her partner, Lee Harrison, after a feud at Glastonbury Festival.
But the turn of events led to Ashley's death. All four accused have been taken into custody. Notably, Lee and the four accused used to be in the same gang. Ashley Dale's mother, Julie Dale, who witnessed her daughter being shot with a machine gun in their home, confronted the accused in court. She labeled them "monsters" as they received life sentences for the heinous murder.
What exactly happened on August 21, 2022?
According to the Independent, when Niall Barry testified before Liverpool Crown Court, he said he was friends with Mr. Harrison. However, Niall claimed that they had stopped talking because Lee was "hanging out" with persons who had stolen £30,000 worth of cannabis and cocaine from him in 2018 or 2019. This led to the end of Harrison and Barry's friendship.
After Harrison visited Glastonbury with Ashley Dale and an acquaintance named Jordan Thompson, the hatred was rekindled. Jordan Thompson attacked Niall's friend Sean Zeisz during the event.
Following this, the four of them went to Ashley's house at night, and Witham kicked the front door. He also fired ten bullets in the dining room, one hitting Ms Dale in the abdomen as she stood by the back door, and five shots into the wall of an upstairs bedroom.
Ashley Dale's mishap leaves her mother, Julie Dale, in agony
Ashley Dale worked as an environmental worker at Knowsley Council. She was termed as the "rising star" by her colleagues. In her personal life, she has been dating Lee Harrison for the last five years.
ITV NEWS states that Ashley Dale was very much worried about her boyfriend, as Lee became friends with the local drug dealers in Liverpool. Lee was accused of stealing £30,000 worth of cannabis and cocaine from Niall in 2018 or 2019. Their friendship deteriorated. They even argued at the Glastonbury Festival. In a fit of rage, Niall and his three friends harbored a dangerous intent to harm Harrison.
Fuelled by their malevolent purpose, they proceeded to Ashley's residence to inflict harm upon Harrison. Their aggression manifested as they violently pounded on the door. Ashley, in a desperate plea, commanded them to leave immediately.
Disregarding reason, the assailants escalated the confrontation by resorting to gunfire, tragically resulting in the untimely demise of Ashley Dale. Ashley's mother, Julie Dale, decided to confront Harrison about the incident. When Julie and his partner, Rob Jones (Ashley's stepfather), demanded the truth, Harrison's reaction to the tragic death astounded them.
When asked about their conversation, Julie said,
"Well he gave us three scenarios. One being a burglary gone wrong, some other ridiculous scenario that they came for somebody else who used to live in the property. None of the reasons were anything to do with him."
Julie and Rob both agreed that Ashley Dale's profound fears about threats against Harrison, which she expressed with acquaintances in text and phone communications disclosed throughout the trial, were shocking and heartbreaking to hear. Each accused individual came up with a story in court, attributing Harrison as the imposter among them.
But, Mr. Harrison "vehemently denied" that he was in danger and had no idea why he or Ms. Dale would be the subject of threats. He acknowledged that he and Barry had a falling out, but he clarified that it had happened three years prior and called Witham an "old mate."
Upon hearing all the accused, Julie expressed her concern, stating,
"The problem we keep coming back to is Ashley fell in love with the wrong boy.”
She further said,
“Some days I feel like I’m more angry towards him than I am to the person who’s actually killed Ashley because without Lee Harrison this wouldn’t have happened.”
In addition to being found guilty of Ashley's murder, Witham, Barry, Zeisz, and getaway driver Joseph Peers were also found guilty of conspiring to kill Lee Harrison and of possessing a gun and ammunition to endanger life. Kallum Radford, who was acquitted of assisting an offender at Liverpool Crown Court, was also released.
Julie Dale, mother of Ashley Dale, expresses gratitude for the park tribute dedicated to her daughter
The Leader of the Knowsley Council, Councillor Graham Morgan, mourned her death and said,
"Ashley was a hard worker. She was dedicated and committed to her role and was developing a promising career – she had only recently been promoted just prior to her death."
As a memorial to her deeds, the organization has erected a bench and planted a cherry blossom tree in Huyton's Court Hey Park, stating,
"We decided to plant a cherry blossom tree and installed a bench at Court Hey Park in Huyton – creating a focal point and place where colleagues, friends and loved ones could go to remember Ashley."
Julie Dale said that she feels honored that her daughter, an environmental health officer, made such an impact.
