'Tell your son not to touch a hair on his head': Moment defendants' mums argued in middle of Ashley Dale murder trial

The mums of two of the defendants in the Ashley Dale murder trial locked horns as tensions simmered in the courtroom, it can be revealed today.

Ashley, 28, was shot dead in her own home on Leinster Road in Old Swan area of Liverpool in the early hours of August 21 last year. Four men have now been jailed for a total of 173 years

James Witham, Joseph Peers, Niall Barry and Sean Zeisz were on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of the council worker's murder, and were all unanimously convicted by a jury on Monday.

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They were also found guilty of conspiracy to murder Ms Dale's boyfriend Lee Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, namely a Skorpion submachine gun, and ammunition with intent to endanger life. Ian Fitzgibbon was cleared of these three charges while a sixth defendant, Kallum Radford, was acquitted of assisting an offender, reports the Echo.

It can now be reported that the mothers of Barry and Fitzgibbon exchanged tense words in court towards the close of the case. Their row came after a morning of legal arguments on Thursday, November 9, in the absence of the jury ahead of closing speeches.

Standing in the public gallery, Barry's mum was heard to remark: "Your son gave him a knife."

Fitzgibbon's mum, who was situated near the exit to courtroom 51, then shouted back: "Tell your son not to touch a hair on his head."

The verbals then continued outside on the landing. The flare up reportedly cooled after one of Peers' family members intervened.

It came after Fitzgibbon