Gang who plotted to kill a man but murdered his innocent girlfriend jailed
On Wednesday 22 November at Liverpool Crown Court, four men were sentenced to a total of 173 years in prison for the murder of Ashley Dale at her home in Old Swan in August 2022, conspiracy to murder Ashley’s boyfriend Lee Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, namely a Skorpion submachine gun, and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
James Witham, 41, Joseph Peers, 29, Niall Barry, 26, and Sean Zeisz, 28, were found guilty of murder by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said that James Witham, Joseph Peers, Niall Barry, Sean Zeisz were intent on killing Ashley Dale’s boyfriend Lee Harrison.
They worked together to plan and execute a shooting at the home of Ashley Dale and Lee Harrison in Leinster Road in the Old Swan area of Liverpool in the early hours of Sunday 21 August 2022.
Lee Harrison was out but Ashley was at home. James Witham forced open the front door to the house, armed with a Skorpion submachine gun. Ashley saw him and screamed at him to get out, but he pursued her, shooting ten bullets in her direction. One bullet fatally struck Ashley.
Senior Crown Prosecutor James Allison, of CPS Mersey Cheshire’s Complex Casework Unit, said:
“This has been a long and difficult prosecution. We had to piece together many different types of evidence to form one overarching and clear picture for the jury.
“This was an appalling crime, where separate disputes between the defendants, Lee Harrison, and his associates in the Hillsiders gang, escalated into a deadly feud.
“This is the tragic result of gun crime – a young woman who was not involved in any criminality found dead in her own home. Society will not tolerate this, and the Crown Prosecution Service and Merseyside Police have worked hard to bring the defendants in this case to justice.
“On behalf of the CPS we would like to thank the police, Prosecution Counsel and, most of all, Ashley’s family for the courage and dignity they have shown throughout.”
Notes to editors
• Sean Zeisz was sentenced to serve a minimum term of 42 years for the murder of Ashley Dale, conspiracy to murder Lee Harrison, conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon with intent to endanger life.
• Niall Barry was sentenced to serve a minimum term of 47 years for the murder of Ashley Dale, conspiracy to murder Lee Harrison, conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon with intent to endanger life.
• Joseph Peers was sentenced to serve a minimum term of 41 years for the murder of Ashley Dale, conspiracy to murder Lee Harrison, conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon with intent to endanger life.
• James Witham was sentenced to serve a minimum term of 43 years for the murder of Ashley Dale, conspiracy to murder Lee Harrison, conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon with intent to endanger life.
At the sentence hearing, the following offences were also dealt with:
• Niall Barry received a total of 30 years imprisonment for conspiracies to supply of class A and B drugs, possess of prohibited weapons (firearms) and transfer of a prohibited weapon (firearm).
• Sean Zeisz received a total of 10 years imprisonment for conspiracies to supply class A and B drugs.
• These sentences will run concurrently to the murder sentence.
• A further offence against Niall Barry for being concerned in the supply of class A drugs is to be left to lie on file.