Killer James Whitman left the dock as the tearful mum of Ashley Dale looked directly at him and said 'I hope my words haunt you forever'.
In a heartwrenching victim impact statement Julie Dale spoke of the day her "lights went out forever" when police told her Ashley had been shot dead. James Witham, Joseph Peers, Niall Barry and Sean Zeisz were found guilty on Monday of murdering Ashley at her home in Old Swan.
Ashley, who was an environmental health officer for Knowsley Council died, aged 28, after being found with a gunshot wound in the back garden of her Leinster Road home, on August 21 last year.
READ MORE: Live updates as Ashley Dale's killers to be sentenced
READ MORE:Ashley Dale's haunting WhatsApp voice notes which helped catch her killers
The four men have been on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of her murder, and were unanimously convicted by a jury on Monday, November 20.
Zeisz, Barry, Witham and getaway driver Joseph Peers, 29, were all convicted by unanimous decision of murdering Ashley, conspiracy to murder her boyfriend, Lee Harrison, and conspiracy to possess a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
A fifth man, 28-year-old Ian Fitzgibbon, was found not guilty of those charges, while Kallum Radford, 26, was cleared of assisting an offender by storing the car used in the shooting.
Today in court Ashley's mum tearfully read out a victim impact statement, so powerful, her daughter's killer temporarily left the dock.
She said: “03:45 on the 21st August 2022. The day I not only lost my daughter, but my best friend. The night we got that dreaded knock that no parent or family should ever have to get.
“Two police officers stood at my door, an image that will haunt me forever. I remember walking down the stairs, saying to Bobby (her partner) “I’m scared”, I know what this means. “Can we come in?”, they said. Never did I think they would say these words. ‘She’s passed away’ they said.
“My life might as well have ended there too. Those three little words had just turned my lights out forever. Time has since stood still."
Julie said how the past year had been "unbearable" with the family "thrust into an unknown criminal arena".
She said: "I have spent the last 15 months, anticipating how or if I would cope during my daughter’s murder trial. Having to sit through endless weeks, seeing and hearing the most horrific details of how my perfect girl was left asking for help, dying alone in a cold wet back yard. Hearing how you all made attempts to cover this up with lies to save yourselves, showing no remorse or compassion to me or my family. Some of you even claiming to be heartbroken and devastated, yet still you could not do the right thing. Making a mockery with the answers given as to how and why this act was carried out.
“No act or person deserves to die - but this I will never ever begin to understand or accept how this could have happened to my perfect beautiful girl, who had her whole life ahead of her.
“I hope you all understand, that I will never ever forgive you, for the life sentence you have gave to me and my family.
“People speak about Justice for Ashley, but in my eyes there will never be justice. The only justice is that this would never have happened, although I can now rest knowing that you monsters are going to pay for what you have done to me and my family and that you too have ruined your own lives and your family’s lives. I hope my words haunt you all forever and you James Witham; I hope when you go to sleep at night you too see my baby girl’s face as I do every single night."
Julie looked directly towards the dock at James Witham and said: "For my Ash, My Baby Girl, Forever 28. I love you. I miss You. Until we meet again, Mum.”
Lead Counsel Paul Greaney KC said: "Ashley’s father has drawn it to our attention that Mr Witham has left the dock.”
Justice Goose says: “Yes he has stepped out temporarily. I’m expecting him to come back.”
Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here
