A MAN who fled to Northern Ireland following a fatal shooting in County Durham in England has been found guilty of murder.
Sean Reay as well as fellow defendants Kelvin Lawson and Thomas Sterling all denied murder but a jury at Teesside Crown Court this week unanimously found them guilty.
The victim, 60-year-old Barry Dawson, was killed when he was shot through the window of a house in Elm Street, South Moor, on the afternoon of April 5 this year.
"Barry Dawson was an innocent man who should have been safe in his own home but they killed him in broad daylight," said Detective Chief Inspector Neil Fuller of Durham Constabulary.
Fatal shot
Police said Reay, 30, was seeking retribution after he had received threats to burn his house down earlier in the day.
The court heard that Reay, along with 38-year-old Lawson and 22-year-old Sterling, planned to shoot a man who had connections at an address in Elm Street later that day.
Footage from a CCTV camera in Elm Street captured Lawson smashing the front window of the property.
As a result, two occupants of the house came outside but were then chased back inside.
In the meantime, Mr Dawson who had been in bed, had got up, having heard the disturbance and gone into the living room.
Moments later, Lawson then smashed the window again before Reay fired the gun into the house.
The shot struck Mr Dawson — who was not the intended target — in the chest, puncturing his heart, lung and liver and he was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.
The group fled the scene in a Seat Arona car, which was later found burnt out nearby in the Oxhill area.
Within eight days, the men — including Reay, who fled to Northern Ireland where he was later arrested by the PSNI — had been charged.
'An innocent man'
"These men set out that afternoon armed with a gun. They had a plan, they wanted revenge," said DCI Fuller.
"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."
He added: "My thoughts remain with those who truly cared about Barry."
Two other men, Kevin Dorward, 38, and Keith Dorward, 48, were both found not guilty of murder but both pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.
Michaela Hetherington, 36, also pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.
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