by A convicted drug dealer has told a court he accidentally shot dead an addict after pointing a gun at him ‘as a traitor’. Shay Walker, 26, was found not guilty of the murder of Peter Hale – who died aged 50 on February 4 this year, four days after being shot in his own home – after a trial.
Walker was said to have told Mr Hale and his brother ‘I gave you this, you c**ts’ as he produced a pistol. A court heard the brother was a customer of Walker’s, who admitted he was the gunman, but claimed he ‘didn’t think the gun was loaded’.
Walker was unanimously found not guilty of murder by a jury of six men and six women after a trial in July, as well as a lesser count of manslaughter and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, after six hours and three minutes. of discussion.
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The convicted drug dealer, who had been jailed just months earlier, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of ammunition without a certificate. He was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.
Mr Hale was shot dead in the living room of his home on Haslingden Close in Old Swan, Liverpool. The sentencing judge described his death as a ‘tragic loss’.
Nick Johnson KC previously told the court during the opening of the prosecution that Mr Hale’s brother, Anthony Hale, called 999 shortly before 4.30pm on January 29 this year, adding: “Anthony Hale was in a bit of a state. He had just seen his brother Peter being shot in the head, through his left eyebrow The shooting took place in his own living room.
“Peter, the brother who was shot, was 50 years old when he died. The two brothers lived together at that address and were both drug addicts. The gunman was the man in the dock. The defendant , Shay Walker. Shay Walker had gone over to Hales’ address with a loaded gun. The two Hale brothers were Mr. Walker’s customers, and they dealt drugs on his behalf.
“They would use crack cocaine and sell drugs to Mr Walker. On this particular day, Shay Walker and Anthony Hale were owed £500. They didn’t pay, because they couldn’t afford to pay. They spent some stock Mr. Walker gave them to sell for him.
“That is, at least in part, why we allege Mr. Walker shot Mr. Hale.”
Jurors were told Walker had visited a gym on Derby Lane with his brother earlier on the day of the shooting before taking a taxi to Lodge Lane in Toxteth, having booked under the name ‘John’, reports The Echo.
Walker would be picked up by another taxi, which had been booked to take him back to his flat on Greenwich Road, from this location shortly after 4pm. However, the driver, who recalled that his passenger had a ‘strong smell of cannabis’, was asked to ‘divert the route’ and visited Hales’ address on Haslingden Close for a ‘very short period not exceeding three minute’ as per the CCTV footage and camera doorbells.”
Walker was said to have given the black handgun to take care of him. He told the court he asked the brothers to look after the 9mm firearm for an unnamed man who supplied him with his drugs. He said the discharge happened when he was delivering the weapon, adding: “I told them I had to be quick, because I had a taxi outside. I took off my coat and told I told them that I gave you this, the firearm.
“I have unzipped the men’s bag, there is a pair of gloves. I put on the gloves and pulled out the gun. I did not want to touch it with my bare hands and leave my fingerprints on it. He pulled the slide on back on the firearm. There was a bullet.
“I then pulled the magazine out to put the bullet back in the magazine. I then put the magazine on the coffee table and picked up the firearm. I then referred to Peter as a joke. No yes I had no reason to be angry with the Hales I could not believe it.
The court heard during Walker’s sentencing that he had previously been given a two-year suspended prison term in July 2023 for possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine. He completed 120 unpaid hours as part of this sentence, but did not complete a rehabilitation activity requirement and tested positive for having Class A drugs in his system during the suspension period.
Judge Freedman, who presided over Walker’s trial, jailed him for seven years and one month. Passing sentence, the High Court judge said: “Peter Hale’s death is a tragic loss to his brother, his family and those who knew him. However, the verdict of the jury is such that he is found not guilty you with any intention of causing death or fear and manslaughter The offenses were committed against a background of serious drug trafficking.
“In your own case, you agreed with your suppliers to recall the self-loading pistol for them. Rather than expose yourself to the perceived danger, it is your case that you arranged with the Hale brothers to recall the firearm for you.
“Your case is that you showed the gun to the Hale brothers and in doing so, believing the gun was not loaded, you pulled the trigger. Your interpretation went very wrong.”
