Murder accused says he was watching the boxing with parents at time of shooting

Joseph Peers is alleged to have driven gunman James Witham to the home of 28-year-old Ashley Dale in Old Swan, Liverpool.

Joseph Peers, 29, who denies the murder of Ashley Dale (Merseyside Police/PA) (PA Media)

A gas fitter accused of the murder of a council worker has told a court that he was at home with his parents watching boxing in his pyjamas at the time.

Joseph Peers, 29, is alleged to have driven gunman James Witham to the home of 28-year-old Ashley Dale in Old Swan, Liverpool, where she was shot with a Skorpion sub-machine gun in the early hours of August 21 last year.

Giving evidence at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, Peers was asked if he was involved in the killing of Miss Dale and answered: “Most definitely not.”

He said: “I was at home with my mother and my father and my two dogs.”

He told the court he was at the family home on Woodlands Road in Roby, Merseyside, watching the fight between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.

He added: “I made my mum a cup of tea and was chilling on her bed for a bit before I came down and actually watched the fight.”

Asked again later in the day about his movements at home, he said: “I’ve continued up stairs with a brew, sat on my mum’s bed, chilled out with her for a little minute, went into my own room, slapped my pyjamas on. That was it, I’ve come down.”

Peers said he had his own gas-fitting business but said his work was mostly in the winter so in the summer of last year work had slowed down.

The court heard that as a child he played for football clubs including Liverpool Schoolboys, Tranmere Rovers and Blackburn – and he also represented the country four times in boxing.

Peers said that after splitting with his long-term girlfriend in May or June last year, he began spending more time with Sean Zeisz, who he had known since primary school, and Ian Fitzgibbon, who are both also charged with Miss Dale’s murder.

He told the court following the death of their friend Rikki Warnick, who took his own life in July last year, he also began to spend time with co-defendants Niall Barry, also known as Branch, and James Witham at a flat on Pilch Lane in Huyton.

He said: “I started spending more time there just chilling with the lads. Obviously we were still mourning the death of our friend.

“He committed suicide so that was more of a catalyst of everyone hanging round together to be honest.”

He said he was at the flat, which the prosecution allege was the “centre of operations” for the murder plot, on August 20 and had left shortly after 10pm.

Peers said Witham, who has admitted the manslaughter of Miss Dale, offered him a lift home in the grey Hyundai which the jury has heard was used in the shooting.

He said he expected to be taken straight home but Witham instead drove him to the address of an associate in Old Swan and then to pick up cannabis in Huyton before dropping him off.

Peers said Witham returned to his house at 1am, knocked on the front door and asked if he wanted to return to the flat on Pilch Lane so he got changed and they walked there.

He told the court Witham did not say what he had been doing since dropping Peers off.

He added: “I didn’t suspect nothing had happened. The only thing I was, not worried, the only thing I was thinking was no one knocks at my house past 1am. They know I’ve got a dog and the dog goes off her head.”

He told the court he had not been aware of any tensions between the defendants and Miss Dale’s partner Lee Harrison.

He said: “As far as the beef’s concerned I’ve always known Lee to be good mates with Branch so I was unaware of anything, especially any beef between the two of them.”

Peers, Witham, 41, Fitzgibbon, 28, Zeisz, 28, Barry, 26, all deny the murder of Miss Dale, conspiracy to murder Mr Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, a Skorpion sub-machine gun, and ammunition.

Kallum Radford, 26, of no fixed address, denies assisting an offender.

The trial will continue on Monday.