The boyfriend of a council worker who was shot dead at her home in Liverpool told her “you think you’re in a horror movie” less than an hour before she was killed, a court heard.

Ashley Dale, who died after being hit in the abdomen by a bullet in the early hours of 21 August 2022, had messaged her boyfriend Lee Harrison to tell him her car alarm was going off.

Five men – James Witham, 41, Niall Barry, 26, Sean Zeisz, 28, Ian Fitzgibbon, 28, and Joseph Peers, 29 – deny the murder, which is alleged to have happened following a feud they had with Mr Harrison.

Ms Dale’s family broke down in tears at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday as the trial was shown her final messages before she died.

The jury was also shown photos of damage caused to the tyres of Ms Dale’s car after they were allegedly slashed at 11:40pm on 20 August in an attempt to lure the occupants of her home on Leinster Road, Old Swan, outside.

Ms Dale had messaged Mr Harrison in the moments afterwards to tell him her car alarm was going off.

He replied just over 20 minutes later saying: “Hahahaha you think your in a horror movie.

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“R u okay? Alive.”

At 12.07am, less than half an hour before she was shot, Ms Dale replied: “No I’m dead.”

The jury was told data from Ms Dale’s phone showed she moved five steps at 12.32am.

Phone records show she called Mr Harrison at 12.33am but he did not answer and she left a one minute 43 second voicemail.

CCTV showed the Hyundai used in the shooting drive onto Leinster Road at 12.30am and leave the road two minutes and 36 seconds later.

The council worker’s father Steve Dunne walked out of court as body-worn footage showing police officers arriving at the house was played.

Her mother Julie Dale and stepfather, Rob Jones, left as medical evidence was read to the jury.

Ms Dale, an environmental health worker at Knowsley Council in Merseyside, had also messaged her mother at 11.46pm on 20 August after the tyres were damaged.

She told Julie Dale rain had set off her car alarm, the court heard.

Her mother replied: “Bloody hell really. Wanna see the leaves round here.”

Ms Dale messaged her mother saying: “Saw that on the news today x

“Because of the heat wave x.”

Julie Dale was in tears as the last messages her daughter sent her were shown to the court.

Detective Sergeant Graeme Sutton told the court: “The last message to her mum read ‘world’s ending’.”

A selfie Ms Dale had captured with her dachshund, Darla, less than an hour before her death was also shown at the trial.

The jury was told how she sent the photograph to a friend at 11:51pm on 20 August with the message: “Any need for my child.

“I’ve never known anything like it. She’s scared of something outside before in back a cat or a rat. She’s got me nerves gone coz am scared of both.

“And now won’t leave me side like an actual baby.”

Alex Langhorn, prosecuting, said Ms Dale had been hit in the abdomen by a bullet which passed through her liver and the right chamber of her heart.

She was pronounced dead in hospital at 1.48am, the court heard.

Witham, of Huyton, admits Ms Dale’s manslaughter but denies murder.

He and his four co-defendants also deny conspiracy to murder Mr Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, a Skorpion sub-machine gun, and ammunition.

Kallum Radford, 26, of no fixed address, denies assisting an offender.

The trial will continue on Wednesday.

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