Man accused of Ashley Dale's murder made 'stab threat' to her boyfriend at Glastonbury, court hears

A man accused of murder threatened to stab the boyfriend of Ashley Dale at Glastonbury Festival, his co-defendant has told a court.

Ashley Dale, 28, was shot with a Skorpion machine pistol at home in Old Swan, Liverpool, at about 12.30am on August 21 last year, after an alleged feud between five men accused of her murder and her partner Lee Harrison.

Giving evidence at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, defendant Ian Fitzgibbon, 28, said he was friends with Mr Harrison.

He told the jury that while attending Glastonbury in June 2022, co-accused Niall Barry had shown him a knife and told him he would stab Mr Harrison, known as Saz.

Fitzgibbon said Barry, 26, asked him if he had seen “Saz”, before saying: “Tell him when you see him I’m going to stab him up.”

He added: “He just pulled out a knife, showed he had a knife, put it back in his pocket.”

Fitzgibbon, who told the court he was a cannabis dealer, said he replied “OK” to Barry after he made the threat.

He said: “I was just a bit shocked, I just wanted to get hold of Lee and tell him what’s been said.”

Asked why he wanted to tell Mr Harrison, he said: “I wouldn’t want to see any harm come to Lee, he’s my friend.”

He described Barry as “drunk” and “off his head”.

He told the court he had spoken to Mr Harrison the following day to “warn” him about Barry.

Asked if he was involved in organising the murder of Miss Dale, or targeting Mr Harrison, Fitzgibbon said: “No sir, never. Lee’s been my friend for years, I’d never see no harm come to Lee or Ashley.”

Fitzgibbon, Barry, Sean Zeisz, 28, Joseph Peers, 29, and James Witham, 41, 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.

Witham admits manslaughter.

Kallum Radford, 26, denies assisting an offender.