Three jailed for murdering man shot through window

Three men have been jailed for life for murdering a grandfather who was shot dead with a pistol through his living room window.

Barry Dawson, 60, was hit in the chest in his home in Stanley, County Durham, in April.

Gunman Sean Reay, of Clavering Place, Annfield Plain, was jailed for a minimum of 32 years at Teesside Crown Court. His accomplices, Thomas Lee Sterling, 22, of The Avenue, and Kelvin Lawson, 37, of Frosterley Gardens, both Annfield Plain, must serve a minimum of 26 and 28 years respectively.

Mr Justice Cotter said they had committed an "extraordinary crime" in scenes most people would usually only see in films and that Mr Dawson was a "wholly innocent man".

During a trial in October, Reay claimed he and his accomplices had set out just to "scare" a man who had threatened him earlier in the day.

It was believed their target was at Mr Dawson's house, although Mr Dawson was not involved in the earlier incident, the court had heard.

Lawson threw a brick through the window before Reay stepped forward and fired, with the attack, which happened in broad daylight and with children playing nearby, caught by a neighbour's CCTV camera.

They then fled the scene in a car belonging to Kevin Dorward, which was falsely reported stolen and set on fire in the aftermath.

Reay fled first to Scotland and then to Ireland, before being arrested several days later.

Kevin Dorward, 38, of New Durham Road, his cousin Keith Dorward, 48, of no fixed address, and Kevin Dorward's partner Michaela Hetherington, 35, all admitted perverting the course of justice.

Kevin Dorward was jailed for 20 months. Keith Dorward was sentenced to 16 months and Hetherington to 15 months. The latter two will now be released due to time served on remand.

The court heard a victim impact statement from Barry Dawson's partner, Sarah Hopwood. She said the gang had taken the life of a "truly great person".

"He was not just my partner, he was an adored father and grandfather and loved by everyone who met him," she said.

"This horrendous crime has broken our hearts and is something we will never recover from."

Mr Justice Cotter said Mr Dawson had been caught up in a reprisal attack.

Although the cause of the dispute was never revealed, he said it was "very probably drugs related".

He said the police were "in a constant battle" to keep guns and knives "off the streets of this country".

"We must do what can properly be done to stop it altogether - If you use a gun you should not expect, nor will you get, any sympathy from the court."

Speaking outside court, Det Chief Insp Neil Fuller, of Durham Police, said the weapon Reay used, a 9mm pistol, was never found.

DCI Fuller said: "Sean Reay was seeking retribution. He gathered his close friends to help, armed himself with a gun and attended that address knowing his actions would have fatal consequences.

"They had a complete disregard for those living on the street, and the children playing in the street must have been terrified."

Andrea Milsom, senior crown prosecutor with CPS North East, said they had worked closely with police to "build a robust case" and secure a conviction.

She said: "While it was Sean Reay who pulled the trigger of the gun which took the life of Barry Dawson, the two men convicted of murder alongside him both actively encouraged and assisted him in this fatal act."

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