Man appears in court charged with murder of Ashley Dale in Old Swan

A man charged with the murder of a council worker has appeared in court after being extradited from Spain.

Ian Fitzgibbon appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court charged with the murder of Ashley Dale, who was found with a gunshot wound in the back garden of her home in Old Swan, Liverpool, on 21 August 2022.

Fitzgibbon, who wore a blue Nike tracksuit, was arrested by the Spanish National Police and extradited from Spain, with the support of the National Crime Agency’s National Extradition Unit, on the afternoon 24 August on a Trade and Co-operation Agreement, Merseyside Police said.

The 28-year-old, who gave his address as Heigham Gardens, St Helens, but appeared on the court list as residing in Dubai, has also been charged with conspiracy to murder Lee Harrison, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life.

During the three-minute hearing, Fitzgibbon spoke only to give his name, date of birth and address.

Chair of the magistrates’ bench Brian Locke sent the case to Liverpool Crown Court for a pre-trial and preparation hearing on Tuesday, 29 August.

Fitzgibbon was remanded in custody until then.

Miss Dale, an environmental health worker for Knowsley Council, was one of three people fatally shot in Liverpool within a week in 2022, with nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel shot in her home in Dovecot and Sam Rimmer, 22, fatally injured in Dingle.

Sean Zeisz, 27, Niall Barry, 26, James Witham, 41, and Joseph Peers, 28, have already been charged with Miss Dale’s murder and are due to stand trial on 2 October.