“Serious and organised crime will not be tolerated on the streets of Merseyside”

A Chief Inspector at Merseyside Police has said that she hopes that the news of four men being convicted of the murder of Ashley Dale will send a message that serious and organised crime will not be tolerated on the streets of Merseyside.

Four men have been convicted of the murder of Ashley Dale who was shot with a machine gun in her home after a feud involving her boyfriend.

Environmental health officer Ashley Dale, 28, was killed when gunman James Witham, 41, forced open the door of her home in Old Swan, Liverpool, in the early hours of August 21 last year

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Cath Cummings said:

“The actions of James Witham on that day had a devastating and widespread impact.

“Ashley, an innocent women, lost her life in the most brutal way at the hands of Witham. That was compounded by the fact that she was alone in her own home, where she should have felt and been safe, when she was fatally shot.

“Her family have to live with that knowledge every day.

“This has been a complex and challenging investigation and it was only thanks to the painstaking work of the investigation team and the community who rallied round and pointed us in the right direction in the early stages that we were able to bring about this successful prosecution.

“The evidential material we had was significant from cell site analysis to DNA and trawling through hundreds of hours of CCTV.

“We also seized thousands of exhibits, of which over 300 were digital devices. By far the most important was Ashley’s phone and the voice notes she sent to her friends describing what was going on in her life and the lead up to her death.

“The four men who have been found guilty have not shown an ounce of remorse for their actions which led to Ashley’s death and instead pleaded not guilty forcing her family to endure a lengthy trial where they have had to relive Ashley’s last moments over and over again.  I am pleased that the jury saw through their blatant lies and how they conspired together.

“I would like to pay tribute to Ashley’s family for the dignity and composure they showed throughout the trial. These four men now face a considerable length of time behind bars and while that will never bring Ashley back I hope that, after over a year of waiting for justice, they can move to the next chapter of their lives and properly grieve their loss.

“I would like to thank the investigation team, the family liaison officers, the officers and staff of Merseyside Police and the Crown Prosecution Service and lead counsel who were all vital to ensuring we got the right result.

“I hope this sends a message that serious and organised crime will not be tolerated on the streets of Merseyside and we will hunt down the people who are responsible and put them behind bars.”

If you have been affected by this case and want to speak to someone or access support, you can contact my Victim Care Merseyside service on 0808 175 3080 or visit www.victimcaremerseyside.org

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