Man accused of murdering Ashley Dale said he would shoot her boyfriend, court hears

A man accused of murdering Ashley Dale said he would shoot her boyfriend, according to messages the 28-year-old had sent to friends in the weeks before she was shot dead.

On Monday, a court also heard police had recovered images from Miss Dale's phone which showed some of the defendants with her and boyfriend, Lee Harrison.

In one photo Miss Dale and Mr Harrison posed with Witham, the man accused of murdering her, as he made the peace sign.

Ashley, who worked for Liverpool Council was shot in her own home on August 21 last year. She was hit in the abdomen after James Witham kicked down the door of her home in Old Swan.

He's admitted her manslaughter but he and four other men - Niall Barry, 26, Sean Zeisz, 28, Ian Fitzgibbon, 28, Joseph Peers, 29 - deny murder.

Police officers outside Ms Dale's home the morning after the shooting

On Monday the court heard Miss Dale had expressed concerns about her partner Lee Harrison attending a funeral and wake for friend Rikki Warnick, who died in July last year, because Barry, known as Branch, may also be there.

The court heard Miss Dale and Barry both attended the wake on August 10 but Mr Harrison did not. The court was shown messages Miss Dale sent to friends on August 12, in which she discussed another friend who had been standing with Barry.

She said: "Like not being funny but you're meant to be my mate and my fella hasn't come coz he's saying he's gonna shoot him.

"So he hasn't come coz he doesn't want the trouble for Rikki's mum."

The trial has heard Barry and Mr Harrison had "heavy beef" for years, according to Miss Dale, and the feud was reignited when both attended the Glastonbury festival in June last year.

In messages to her friend Mol on August 1, Miss Dale said: "I don't want to have to go to Lee's funeral next and I just have a bad, bad feeling about everything.

"Me nerves are gone, when am out in the car with Lee just feeling like I'm looking over me shoulder all the time."

Ms Dale told her friends she was nervous about the unfolding situation

In voice notes played to the court, Miss Dale told another friend she had asked Mr Harrison to be "honest about everything" so she could prepare for "the worst".

She added: "I don't normally want to know but I need to know what's going to happen."In the messages, she said Mr Harrison did not want the feud and would "squash it" if Mr Barry wanted to.

She added: "Lee could end up in jail or whatever, like, worse."The prosecution allege Miss Dale died after Barry, Zeisz and Fitzgibbon dispatched "foot soldiers" Witham and Peers armed with a Skorpion sub-machine gun to kill Miss Dale's boyfriend, Lee Harrison, at his home and "to deal with anyone that got in their way, leaving behind no witnesses".

Witham, of Huyton; Fitzgibbon, of St Helens; Zeisz of Huyton; Barry, of Tuebrook; and Peers, of Roby - all Merseyside - deny conspiracy to murder Mr Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, a Skorpion sub-machine gun, and ammunition, as well as the murder of Miss Dale.

Kallum Radford, 26, of no fixed address, denies assisting an offender. The trial, expected to last six to eight weeks, will continue on Tuesday.