Five men to face court charged with murder of Liverpool woman Ashley Dale

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Five men will face Liverpool Crown Court on Monday charged with the shooting murder of 28-year-old Liverpool woman Ashley Dale.

Miss Dale was found with a gunshot wound in the back garden of her Old Swan home in Liverpool on August 21 last year.

Ian Fitzgibbon, 28, from St Helens, is one of the men charged over her death and has been extradited from Spain after being arrested by the Spanish National Police.

Fitzgibbon has also been charged with conspiracy to murder and possession of a prohibited weapon with intent to endanger life.

The St Helens man also faces another charge that alleges he was conspiring to obtain a prohibited weapon; a Skorpion submachine gun and the associated ammunition for that weapon.

He will face court alongside Niall Barry, 26, of Tuebrook, Sean Zeisz, 28, of Huyton, Joseph Peers, 28, of Roby and James Witham, 41, of Huyton.

Kallum Radford, 25, of no fixed address, has been charged with assisting an offender in the wake of Ms Dale’s death.

Miss Dale was found in the back garden of her home on Leinster Road in Old Swan in 2021 and was one of three fatal shootings within one week in Liverpool last year.

Police were called to an address in Leinster Road at about 12.40am on August 21 after reports of concern for a woman at the property, who was later identified as Miss Dale.

The 28-year-old, an environmental health officer for Knowsley Council, was taken to hospital but died a short time later after succumbing to her injuries.

She is not believed to have been the intended target of the killing.

The total number of people arrested in connection with Miss Dale’s death is 15.

On her birthday in December last year, her family issued a statement that said: “On what would have been Ashley’s 29th birthday, her loss is beyond words, the family have been torn apart and life can never be ‘normal’ again.

“Her birthday being so close to Christmas made this time of year so special, but without her, Christmas is going to be unbearable.

“Life has become a living nightmare for Ashley’s parents, siblings and family.

“Her loving, kind and articulate nature showed through with the number of friends she had. We couldn’t have been more proud of Ashley.

“A huge hole has been left, life will never be the same again.

“We miss you Ash with all our hearts, and vow that justice for ‘Our Ash’ will be served.”