A couple appeared in court today over the murder of a grandfather who was shot dead through the window of his home.
Kevin Dorward, 38, is accused of murder and is said to have been one of a group of people who drove to the home of Barry Dawson, 60, and committed a broad daylight attack that stunned a close-knit community.
Dorward’s partner Michaela Hetherington, 35, is charged with perverting the course of justice by falsely telling police that the car used in the killing had been stolen when she knew it had not.
The pair, who live at the same address in Annfield Plain, County Durham, appeared separately before Newton Aycliffe magistrates court and both were remanded in custody.
Dorward will be brought before Durham Crown Court tomorrow.
Hetherington, who brushed away tears in the dock, will appear for a bail hearing either the same day or next Monday.
Prosecutor John Garside told the court that the incident leading up to crisp factory worker Mr Dawson’s murder at 5.30pm on Saturday began earlier that afternoon.
Dorward and Hetherington went to the pub together and parked his car in the car park.
The following morning she told police it had been stolen, which prosecutors say was a lie.
Michaela Hetherington, 35, (pictured) is charged with perverting the course of justice by falsely telling police that the car used in the killing of Barry Dawson, 60, had been stolen when she knew it had not
Barry Dawson, 60, (pictured) was fatally shot in broad daylight at his home in Stanley, County Durham on April 5
A police tent at the scene on Elm Street in Stanley, County Durham, last weekend
Mr Garside said: ‘The Crown’s case is that the car had not been stolen but had been used not by her but by others to drive from Annfield Plain to South Moor, Stanley, and then back to the top of the South Moor area where the vehicle was later set on fire.’
Paul Donoghue, for Hetherington, said her case is that she had no idea the car had been used to carry Mr Dawson’s alleged killers.
She returned to the pub at 10 o’clock the following morning and discovered it was missing, he told the court.
Mr Donoghue added she was not involved in the murder, saying: ‘This lady does not accept to being part of that activity.’
The court was told that Dorward and Hetherington live at the same address and have children who were being looked after by relatives.
District Judge Steven Hood remanded both in custody.
He told Hetherington: ‘Your case will be brought before Durham Crown Court where you will be able to make an application for bail.’
Durham Police say a 21-year-old man has also been arrested on suspicion of murder, while a 20-year-old man and 49-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Michaela Hetherington, 35, (pictured) is charged with perverting the course of justice while her partner, Kevin Dorward, 38, is accused of the murder of Barry Dawson, 60
Shooting victim Barry Dawson’s devastated family have paid tribute, saying he was a ‘much-loved father, granddad and partner’
All three remain in police custody.
In a tribute, Mr Dawson’s family described him as a ‘much-loved father, granddad and partner who will be greatly missed’.
‘We are truly devastated, and his loss will leave an enormous gap in our lives,’ the family said.
A police spokesman said investigations continue and officers would remain working in the Elm Street area ‘for a significant period of time’.
A friend of Mr Dawson, from Stanley, County Durham, previously told Mail Online: ‘It is impossible to comprehend that Barry has lost his life like this, whatever was behind it I’m certain he was not the intended target.
‘The Barry I knew would never have done anything to have brought this kind of thing to his door, he was a thoroughly decent man and he wasn’t the sort of person to be involved in anything criminal.
‘Whoever did this was after someone else. It looks as though they fired at the window at whoever they could see and that was Barry.
‘He was a popular man in the community, everybody knew him and he has a large family who are completely devastated by this.
‘Barry had quite a few kids over the years and he loved them all, I can’t imagine what his family is going through right now.
‘To have a shooting like this happen in a small town like Stanley is unbelievable, but for Barry to be the one who ended up dead is cruel.’
