Ashley Dale: Murder accused's mum denies lying to court

The mother of a man accused of helping a gunman who shot a council worker has told a prosecutor to "prove" she has lied to a court.

Liverpool Crown Court has heard Joseph Peers, 29, was allegedly the getaway driver for James Witham, who has admitted shooting Ashley Dale in Old Swan, Liverpool, in August 2022.

His mother Lesley McMahon told the jury her son was at home at the time.

Accused of lying by prosecutor Paul Greaney KC, she said: "You prove that".

Mr Peers has been accused of being the driver in the killing of Ms Dale, who was shot with a Skorpion machine pistol at her home in the early hours of 21 August 2022.

Ms McMahon told the court she had been in her bedroom just after 23:00 BST on the previous day when Mr Peers returned to their home on Woodlands Road, Roby, and brought her a cup of tea.

Mr Peers previously told the jury he was with his parents watching a boxing match at the time the environmental health officer was killed.

Cross-examining Mrs McMahon, Mr Greaney said what she had done was "tell this jury a pack of lies".

"You prove that," she replied.

She later added: "When you've got evidence to put before the court to call me a liar, you may call me that."

She was then asked about whether she spoke to her husband about the timings of what happened on the night of the shooting and said she was "nervous", appearing to become upset and wiping away tears with a tissue.

She told the jury she had not viewed CCTV from the family home which would show her son returning home, and the recorder was later damaged in a house move and was now in landfill.

She added that she loved her children "dearly" and, when asked if she was protective of them, replied that "every mother's protective".

Mr Peers's father Thomas McMahon told the court he watched the boxing match with his son that night.

The court also heard defendant Kallum Radford, 26, who denies assisting an offender by helping to store the car used in the shooting, would not be giving evidence.

Steven Swift, defending Mr Radford, told the jury there was "no further evidence to call on his behalf".

Mr Witham, 41, has admitted manslaughter, but denies murder, along with co-defendants Mr Peers, Niall Barry, 26, Sean Zeisz, 28, and Ian Fitzgibbon, 28.

All five men also deny conspiracy to murder Ms Dale's partner Lee Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, a Skorpion sub-machine gun, and ammunition.

The trial continues.

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