Ashley Dale: two more men charged with murder of council worker in Liverpool - what have police said?

Merseyside Police have charged two more men with the murder of Liverpool council worker Ashley Dale.

Niall Barry, 26, of Moscow Drive, Tuebrook and Sean Zeisz, 27, of Longreach Road, Huyton have both been charged with the murder of the young woman. Ms Dale was shot dead in Old Swan, Liverpool in August 2022.

Police previously charged two men with the murder, with the new charges bringing the total number of those being accused of her murder to four. James Witham, 40, of Ashbury Road, Huyton, and Joseph Peers, 28, of Woodlands Road, Roby, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court earlier this month accused of her murder.

Mr Barry and Mr Zeisz have both been remanded in custody. They are due to appear in Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 14 February.

What happened to Ashley Dale?

Police were called to an address in Old Swan, Liverpool on Sunday 21 August 2022 at around 12.40am. When officers arrived, they found Ms Dale with gunshot wounds in her back garden.

She was given treatment at the scene before being taken to the hospital, where she was sadly pronounced dead. Following her death, her family released a state in which they described the 28-year-old as their “shining light”.

They said: “Ashley, our girl – our shining light. Our hearts are broken into a million pieces. Ashley was a hard-working young woman, who had her entire life ahead of her.

“She had just been promoted at her job with Knowsley Council. She had a degree and so many plans for her bright future that had only just begun. Her laugh, smile and energy were infectious in any room.

“We can’t come to terms with how this would happen to a defenceless woman in her own home. None of this makes sense and our lives will never be the same again. A senseless crime that has torn a family apart. Justice needs to be brought.”