Funeral for 'rising star' shot in her garden held at Liverpool Cathedral

20 September 2022, 18:41 | Updated: 20 September 2022, 22:36

The funeral of Ashley Dale, the 28-year-old woman who was shot in her back garden in Liverpool last month, has taken place at Liverpool Cathedral.

Ashen-faced mourners watched on as her white coffin arrived at the Anglican Cathedral in a black hearse at midday on Tuesday.

Magnolia white flowers surrounded her coffin, spelling out ‘Daughter’ and ‘Our Ash’.

Family members then carried Ms Dale's coffin up the steps and into the cathedral with mourners watching on.

Ashley Dale died after being shot by a gunman who burst into her home in the Old Swan area of Liverpool last month.

The gunman forced open the front door of her house in the early hours of the morning on August 21 and fired shots “indiscriminately”.

Merseyside Police were called to the scene and found Ms Dale unresponsive on the ground.

She was pronounced dead shortly after.

An inquest into Ms Dale's death was open and adjourned last month that heard she was not intended to be the target of the attack.

Eight people have been arrested in connection with her death. No one has been charged.

At the private funeral, Ms Dale was remembered by her family, friends, and colleagues as a loving, vibrant, and driven young woman who wanted to make a difference in her city.

An orchestral version of ‘Don’t You Worry Child’ rang out through the cathedral as the service came to a close.

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Knowsley Council, where Ms Dale worked in environmental health, said that bridges in Liverpool will turn green, pink, and orange this evening in tribute to her, and flags will remain at half-mast.

Knowsley Council officials called her a ‘rising star’.

Ms Dale was one of four people killed in a single week in Merseyside amid the recent rise of gun and knife crimes in the region.

Sam Rimmer, 22, was shot dead in Dingle just days before on 16 August. Karen Dempsey, 55, died in hospital on August 22 after being stabbed in a car park. The same day, nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead at her home in Dovecot.

Ashley Dale's family have requested that donations be made to O.L.L.Y, a children’s charity that supports children who have lost a loved one through acts of violence and helps them regain the fun in their lives after a traumatic experience.