A gas fitter accused of the murder of a council worker has told a court that he was at home with his parents watching boxing at the time.
Joseph Peers, 29, is alleged to have driven gunman James Witham to the home of 28-year-old Ashley Dale in Old Swan, Liverpool, where she was shot with a Skorpion sub-machine gun in the early hours of August 21 last year.
Giving evidence at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, Peers was asked if he was involved in the killing of Miss Dale and answered: “Most definitely not.”
He said: “I was at home with my mother and my father and my two dogs.”
He told the court he was at the family home on Woodlands Road in Roby, Merseyside, watching the fight between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.
He added: “I made my mum a cup of tea and was chilling on her bed for a bit before I came down and actually watched the fight.”
Peers said he knew Miss Dale’s partner Lee Harrison, who is alleged to have been in a feud with the defendants, but did not take any part in a plan to kill him.
He said: “I knew him, he was a nice lad. Never had no trouble with him in my life.”
He told the court he had never seen a Skorpion sub-machine gun before.
Peers said he had his own gas-fitting business, but said his work was mostly in the winter so in the summer of last year work had slowed down.
The court heard as a child he played for football clubs including Liverpool Schoolboys, Tranmere Rovers and Blackburn – and he also represented the country four times in boxing.
Peers said after splitting with his long-term girlfriend in May or June last year, he began spending more time with Sean Zeisz, who he had known since primary school, and Ian Fitzgibbon, who are both also charged with Miss Dale’s murder.
He told the court following the death of their friend Rikki Warnick, who took his own life in July last year, he also began to spend time with co-defendants Niall Barry, also known as Branch, and James Witham at a flat on Pilch Lane in Huyton.
He said: “I started spending more time there just chilling with the lads. Obviously we were still mourning the death of our friend.
“He committed suicide so that was more of a catalyst of everyone hanging round together to be honest.”
He told the court he had not been aware of any tensions between the defendants and Mr Harrison.
He said: “As far as the beef’s concerned I’ve always known Lee to be good mates with Branch so I was unaware of anything, especially any beef between the two of them.”
Peers, Witham, 41, Fitzgibbon, 28, Zeisz, 28, Barry, 26, all 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.
Kallum Radford, 26, of no fixed address, denies assisting an offender.
