THOMAS STERLING

Three men convicted of murdering a grandfather in County Durham have been given life sentences.

Barry Dawson, aged 60, was shot through a broken window in the living room of his terraced home in South Moor, Stanley, on April 5.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene but were unable to save him.

The three individuals—Sean Reay, 30, from Sabin Terrace, Stanley; Kelvin Craig Lawson, 38, of Frosterley Gardens, Stanley; and Thomas Lee Sterling, 22, from The Avenue, Stanley—were found guilty of Mr.

Dawson’s murder.

During sentencing, Judge Cotter addressed the men, stating, "You carried out a shocking crime on an everyday residential street during a spring Saturday.

Children had been playing nearby just moments before you produced a firearm to threaten one person and shoot another.

You transformed what should have been a normal street into a scene reminiscent of television or cinema, and certainly not something seen routinely in this country.

Although illegal firearm use is uncommon, we cannot ignore the seriousness.

If you choose to use a gun, you should not expect sympathy from this court." Reay received a life sentence with a minimum term of 32 years, along with a concurrent sentence of 76 months for firearm possession.

Lawson was also sentenced to life with a minimum of 28 years, while Sterling was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 26 years.