Three men convicted of murder of grandfather shot through living-room window

Three men have been found guilty of the murder of a grandfather who was mistakenly shot at close range through his living-room window.

Barry Dawson, who had not been the intended target, was killed in the shooting at his home in Elm Street, Stanley, Co Durham, in April.

Following a trial at Teesside Crown Court, Sean Reay, 30, of Sabin Terrace, Stanley, who shot the 60-year-old, was found guilty of his murder along with Kelvin Lawson, 38, and 22-year-old Thomas Sterling.

A CPS spokesman said: “The shot struck Barry in the chest, puncturing his heart, lung and liver, and he was tragically pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

“Following the shooting, Sean Reay fled the Durham area and was later arrested in Northern Ireland.”

The spokesman said that Lawson, of Frosterly Gardens, Stanley, had smashed the living-room window with a brick just before Reay fired the fatal shot.

He added that the driver of the car, Keith Dorward, 48, was found not guilty of murder but had pleaded guilty earlier to perverting the course of justice.

Michaela Hetherington, 36, of South View Gardens, Stanley, pleaded guilty to one charge of perverting the course of justice after falsely claiming to police the morning after the shooting that her car, which had been used in the shooting, had been stolen.

Another man, 38-year-old Kevin Dorward, was also found not guilty of murder but had pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.

Andrea Milsom, senior Crown prosecutor with CPS North East, said: “It is clear from the evidence in this case that Sean Reay pulled the trigger on the gun that took the life of Barry Dawson.

“It is also clear that the other two men convicted of murder alongside him intentionally assisted or encouraged him to carry out this act.

“This shooting was carried out on a quiet residential street on a sunny Saturday afternoon at around 5.15pm, where only minutes earlier children had been playing.

“That peace was shattered with the arrival of these men, who smashed the window of Mr Dawson’s home and worked as a team to aggressively intimidate concerned neighbours prior to the shooting.

“Barry Dawson was not the intended target of this attack and was shot by mistake only after coming downstairs to investigate the commotion that was unfolding outside his home.”

The defendants will be sentenced on a date to be set.

Doorbell camera footage previously emerged of the shooting in which two figures can be seen approaching Mr Dawson’s home, one smashing the window and another, in a hood, firing once through the blinds, before the pair run off.

A man can then be heard shouting: “They’ve killed me dad.”

In a tribute released after Mr Dawson’s death, his family described him as “a much-loved father, grand-dad and partner who will be greatly missed”.

A statement said: “We are truly devastated and his loss will leave an enormous gap in our lives.”

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Fuller, of Durham Constabulary, said: “These men set out that afternoon armed with a gun. They had a plan, they wanted revenge.

“Barry Dawson was an innocent man who should have been safe in his own home, but they killed him in broad daylight.

“They also had a complete disregard for the young children and other residents living in the street – who must have been terrified.

“There is no place for guns on the streets of County Durham and Darlington, and we take a zero-tolerance approach in tackling and bringing to justice those who choose to carry such weapons.”