Man accused of being driver in murder was ‘lied to’ by gunman, court hears

Environmental health officer Ashley Dale, 28, was shot with a Skorpion machine pistol at home in Old Swan, Liverpool.

Joseph Peers with James Witham on the evening before the shooting of Ashley Dale (Merseyside Police/PA) (PA Media)

A man accused of being the driver in the shooting of a council worker has told a court he was “blatantly lied to” by the gunman.

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 in a hotel in St Helens, Merseyside, with Witham for two nights following Miss Dale’s death before travelling to Scotland with him, a trial at Liverpool Crown Court has heard.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, Peers said: “I can see how odd it looked. Anyone in their right mind would say yeah, youse were in it together.

“He’s used me. After this I would never, ever, ever have assisted him in booking hotels, moving the car.

“I was blatantly lied to and that’s the truth.”

He denied dropping Witham off to pick up a weapon after 10.10pm on August 20 and driving to the area close to Miss Dale’s home, on Leinster Road, to carry out a “recce”.

Paul Greaney KC, prosecuting, suggested Peers had later helped Witham to slash tyres on Miss Dale’s car.

Peers said: “That’s what you suggest but I wouldn’t lower my standards to actually slashing someone’s tyres. It’s the lowest of the low.

“That wasn’t me. Why would I slash someone’s tyres I don’t even know?

“These people had no trouble with me. I know them, there’s no way on earth I’d go and slash tyres and then have them lured out their house and then try and kill them. I know them, I know both of them.”

The prosecution allege Miss Dale was killed following a feud between the defendants and her partner Lee Harrison.

Mr Greaney said: “Your job was to drive the car and otherwise support James Witham in that plot to attack 40 Leinster Road and kill Lee Harrison, leaving behind no witnesses.”

Peers said: “That was not my job.”

When he was asked if he had heard Miss Dale shout after the shots were fired, Peers said: “No, I was not there at that material time and I definitely wouldn’t have assisted someone to have been doing something like that. It’s horrible, it’s disgusting, it should never have happened.”

He told the court he was at home, on Woodlands Road, Roby, with his parents watching boxing when the shooting happened.

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.

Kallum Radford, 26, denies assisting an offender.