Three men jailed for life after man, 60, shot dead through living room window in County Durham

Three men have been jailed for life for the murder of a man in his own home.

Barry Dawson, who was a grandfather, was shot through the living room window of his terraced house in Stanley, County Durham, on 5 April.

Following a trial at Teesside Crown Court which concluded in October, Sean Reay, 30, of Sabin Terrace, Stanley, who shot the 60-year-old, was found guilty of his murder along with Kelvin Lawson, 38, and 22-year-old Thomas Sterling.

Reay was given a minimum term of 32 years. Lawson, of Frosterley Gardens, Stanley, who smashed the downstairs window to allow his co-accused to get a clearer shot, got a minimum term of 28 years.

Sterling, of The Avenue, Stanley, received a minimum term of 26 years. The judge said he was part of a "show of strength" in the street that day.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said at the time of their conviction: "The shot struck Barry in the chest, puncturing his heart, lung and liver, and he was tragically pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.

"Following the shooting, Sean Reay fled the Durham area and was later arrested in Northern Ireland."

Mr Dawson had lived in the street for more than two decades and was a well-liked member of his community.

The shocking doorbell footage caught the shooting and then Mr Dawson's son, Shane, shouting: "They shot my dad."

Mr Justice Cotter said: "This was an extraordinary crime in an ordinary residential street.

"It was the sort of thing most people only see in television or films, and then not in this country."

In a victim impact statement, Mr Dawson's partner, Sarah Hopwood, said the man people knew as Buck was an "adored father and grandfather".

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

Sean Reay 'out for revenge'

The court heard Reay was out for revenge following an altercation outside his property earlier that day, which was suspected to be drug-related, and in which he claimed a man threatened to burn his house down.

Reay's gang believed the person responsible was in Mr Dawson's home and they hoped to lure him out by breaking windows.

Mr Dawson, who had been resting upstairs, and who had nothing to do with the earlier trouble outside the home, came downstairs to see what was going on.

Mr Justice Cotter said Reay was in charge, while Lawson and Sterling were "key lieutenants".

Trio 'lived by a code'

The judge said the three men lived by a code that saw the police as the enemy.

"You can reflect on where your code has got you during your decades in prison," he said.

"Until you reject the code, you will not be safe to rejoin society."

Reay recruited Kevin Dorward, 38, to drive them to the shooting and his cousin Keith Dorward, 48, also came along.

They were cleared of murder, but admitted perverting the course of justice by trying to burn out the getaway car.

Kevin Dorward's partner, Michaela Hetherington, also admitted perverting the course of justice by falsely claiming to police that the car had been stolen.

The judge jailed Kevin Dorward for 20 months, Keith Dorward for 16 months, both of whom were living in Annfield Plain at the time, and Hetherington for 15 months, meaning she will be released immediately, having served 246 days on remand.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Fuller, Senior Investigating Officer for Operation Hamnett at Durham Constabulary, said: "I hope this investigation sends out a clear message to criminals that we will not allow such extreme violence on our streets.

"There is no place for guns on our streets, and we take a zero-tolerance approach in tackling and bringing to justice those who choose to carry such weapons.

"Barry Dawson needlessly lost his life that afternoon because of the despicable actions of these three men. My thoughts remain with those who loved him."

(c) Sky News 2025: Three men jailed for life after man, 60, shot dead through living room window in County Durham