Ashley Dale's mum Julie Dale says we need to talk to young women about the consequences of dangerous relationships
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Updated 06:17, 19 Mar 2025
Julie Dale pictured last year at a memorial bench for her daughter Ashley in Huyton
Julie Dale pictured last year at a memorial bench for her daughter Ashley in Huyton
(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Ashley Dale's mum has issued a plea to young women to think long and hard about the men they are getting involved with and not to be seduced by the seemingly glamorous lifestyles they see online. Julie Dale addressed a crowd of schoolgirls yesterday at an event held in Anfield designed to educate them about violence against women and girls.
Julie's daughter Ashley was 28 when she was shot dead in her own home in Old Swan by James Witham on August 21, 2022. A balaclava-clad Witham broke through the locked front door and shot Ashley, who worked as an environmental health officer, with a Skorpion submachine gun. A trial at Liverpool Crown Court in 2023 heard that Ashley's boyfriend, Lee Harrison, was the intended target of the shooting.
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Since Ashley's murder, Julie has campaigned relentlessly to help stop male violence against women and girls. This includes educating girls about the threats they face if they get into relationships with men like Harrison, whose criminal lifestyles inevitably put those around them in danger.
Speaking to the ECHO from the Anfield Sports and Community Centre, Julie said: "I think it's important to talk to girls about the consequences of relationships. Ashley was not what you'd call your typical drug dealer's girlfriend. She had a job, she worked hard, she went to uni.
"She went to a good school and did A Levels and GCSEs. Yet she still wasn't immune from this. These four men who were convicted of Ashley's murder, they knew Ashley on a personal level as well. And again, it didn't make her immune. They entered her home with no thought for anyone else."
Julie Dale pictured with her daughter Ashley, who was dragged into a violent feud arising from a 'world that was not her world'
Julie Dale pictured with her daughter Ashley, who was dragged into a violent feud arising from a 'world that was not her world'
Julie thinks too many young women are seduced by the glamorous lifestyles they see on social media. "Social media is massive and everyone can see what everyone else has got. They see a nice house and designer clothes and a car and everything else. And I feel like it's a massive influence on people.
"20 or 30 years ago, you didn't know what your neighbours had or your friends had. But now it's instant. And sometimes, whether it's true or not, it's making those girls want those things straightaway. Unfortunately by getting involved with these boys, you can be offered these things, but it's not all it's cracked up to be."
The Dale family has suffered indescribable pain since Ashley's death. Julie has previously described being dealt a "life sentence" by her daughter's murderer, and her pain has been compounded by cruel online comments.
Julie told us: "There have been lots of stories in the media about Ashley and the case and what happened to her. And there's been lots of negative comments about us as a family, about Ashley as a person. Unfortunately there's such a lot of young women and girls who are mixed up with boys who are involved in this, and Ashley didn't realise she was doing anything wrong with it.
"We're a normal family - I had a career, which I've now unfortunately lost. And I've had people telling me that she deserved it and stuff like that. It's not nice to see. No one deserves to die, especially a young, innocent woman, who just fell in love with the wrong boy."
Her advice to young women is to "just be happy in yourself". According to Julie, anyone noticing "red flags" in a partner's behaviour should "talk about it, speak up and don't be scared to walk away from it".
She added: "It's no secret Ashley's boyfriend was involved in drug dealing and we all knew that, and it was something I wasn't happy about. Ashley obviously knew that he wasn't a 9 to 5 person, but she loved him and felt like she couldn't get out of it, and now she's paid the ultimate price."
Ashley is one of many women and girls who have lost their lives to male violence on Merseyside. According to Liverpool Domestic Abuse Service (LDAS), between 2022 and 2023, Merseyside was blighted by the worst record of women and girls killed by men in the whole country. Nationwide, a woman was killed by a man on average every three days between 2009 and 2019.
Yesterday's event, which was aimed at Year 8 schoolgirls aged 12 or 13, is part of a month-long project organised by Merseyside Police to combat violence against women and girls through a range of activities in schools across Merseyside.
Faye Smith, the Safer Schools Co-ordinator at Merseyside Police, said: "The work we do with young people is vital in order to engage and educate them on what is and isn’t acceptable when it comes to abuse and misogynistic behaviours. We have a real opportunity to make a difference with the young people we engage with, as we continue to spread the message."