Three men found guilty of the murder of County Durham grandfather

Three men who were involved in the fatal shooting of a County Durham grandfather have been found guilty of murder at Teesside Crown Court today (31 October).

The group were convicted of the murder of 60-year-old Barry Dawson at his home in Elm Street, Stanley in April of this year.

Sean Reay, 30, of Sabin Terrace, Stanley, shot Barry at close range through the living room window of his home address. The shot struck Barry in the chest, puncturing his heart, lung and liver, and he was tragically pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

Kelvin Lawson, 38, and Thomas Sterling, 22, were also found guilty of murder.
The three men had travelled to the scene in the same car. Kelvin Lawson, of Frosterly Gardens, Stanley, smashed the living room window with a brick just before Sean Reay fired the fatal shot at Barry. Following the shooting, Sean Reay fled the Durham area and was later arrested in Northern Ireland.

Prosecutors presented expert evidence as part of their case and were able to successfully prove that Reay’s accomplices each played a part in Barry’s murder. This included the use of CCTV and mobile phone data to show their movements in the run up to the shooting and their actions that followed.

Keith Dorward, 48, the driver of the car was found not guilty of murder but had pleaded earlier to perverting the course of justice. Following the attack, an attempt had been made by Dorward to burn the car in nearby parkland.

Michaela Hetherington, 36, of South View Gardens, pleaded guilty to one charge of perverting the course of justice, after falsely claiming to police the morning after the shooting that her car, which had been used in the shooting, had been stolen.

Andrea Milsom, Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS North East said: 

“It is clear from the evidence in this case that Sean Reay pulled the trigger on the gun that took the life of Barry Dawson. It is also clear that the other two men convicted of murder alongside him intentionally assisted or encouraged him to carry out this act.

“This shooting was carried out on a quiet residential street on a sunny Saturday afternoon at around 5:15pm, where only minutes earlier children had been playing. That peace was shattered with the arrival of these men, who smashed the window of Mr Dawson’s home and worked as a team to aggressively intimidate concerned neighbours prior to the shooting. Barry Dawson was not the intended target of this attack and was shot by mistake only after coming downstairs to investigate the commotion that was unfolding outside his home.

“The Crown Prosecution Service has worked closely with Durham Constabulary to build a robust case against those convicted today. Thanks to an excellent investigation by our police partners, we have been able to draw upon hours of CCTV footage, digital phone records and forensics to meticulously piece together the actions of each person involved, both before and after the shooting, to secure these convictions today.

“Our thoughts remain with the family of Barry Dawson, who have spoken publicly about the enormous loss that they have endured. We only hope that they can take some measure of comfort in seeing those responsible for his death convicted of murder today."

Those convicted will be sentenced at a date to be set by Teesside Crown Court.