Man accused of murdering council worker ‘stayed in hotel for sauna’ after shooting, court hears

Alleged getaway driver says he stayed in hotel with gunman after shooting

Environmental health officer Ashley Dale, 28, was shot at her home (PA Media)

A man accused of the murder of a council worker has said he stayed in a hotel with the gunman in the days after the shooting because they were going for a “steam and sauna”.

Environmental health officer Ashley Dale, 28, was shot with a Skorpion machine pistol at home in Old Swan, Liverpool, in the early hours of August 21 last year by gunman James Witham, 41, who admits manslaughter.

Joseph Peers, 29, who is alleged to have been the driver for the shooting, stayed with Witham at a Mercure Hotel in St Helens, Merseyside, from August 21 to 23, a trial at Liverpool Crown Court has heard.

Giving evidence on Monday, Peers said Witham had come to his house, on Woodlands Road in Roby, on the morning of August 21 and asked if he wanted to go for a “steam and sauna”.

Bodycam footage of Joseph Peers being arrested on suspicion of the murder of Ashley Dale (PA Media)

He said: “The Mercure is a local gym where I go for a swim, steam and sauna.

“We were going to go later on in the night, when we got there the facilities were closed down for maintenance.”

He added: “I was only going for a swim and sauna and it’s turned out to staying there. He’s paid me to book him a room in my name, with my own number, my own credit card. I can’t say why.”

Witham also asked him if he could find a place to store a Hyundai, Peers said, which the court has heard was used in the shooting, and he spoke to Kallum Radford, who agreed to store it.

Peers, who has told the court he had a gas-fitting business, said he thought he wanted to store the car because it had been involved in a crash.

James Witham, who has admitted the manslaughter of Ashley Dale, is arrested by police on the M6 in Cumbria (PA Media)

The court heard Peers and Witham stayed at the hotel in St Helens for two nights, leaving for a few hours on August 22 when Peers said they went to KFC.

On August 23 they checked out of the hotel and Peers said he returned home but later that day Witham asked him to arrange a lift to Scotland.

He told the court: “He said to me he was going up the road to pick some money up, if I came with him he’d give me a bevvy, a drink.”

He said the pair travelled to Aberdeen together and he stayed with his uncle.

Peers added: “Obviously I didn’t know what Witham was going to be up to in Aberdeen.”

The court heard the two men returned to Merseyside on August 26 and again stayed at the Mercure hotel.

Witham returned to Scotland the following day while Peers remained in Merseyside until September 4 when he travelled north again.

Both men were arrested as they returned from Scotland on September 13.

Peers told the court at the time they were arrested Witham had not said anything to him about what he’d done.

He said: “That’s the most baffling part of it.

“He hadn’t said nothing, in fact he’s let me book hotels in my own name, let me store the car for him.”

Peers, Witham and co-defendants Niall Barry, 26, Sean Zeisz, 28, and Ian Fitzgibbon, 28, deny the murder of Ms Dale, conspiracy to murder her partner Lee Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, a Skorpion sub-machine gun, and ammunition.

Radford, 26, denies assisting an offender.