Feud murder accused 'didn't like' victim's family

A man accused of murderously ramming a man on a petrol forecourt as part of a family feud has told jurors he "didn't like" the victim's relatives.

The fatal attack on 23-year-old Daniel Ambler at a petrol station in Seaham, County Durham, in January came after months of incidents between his family and the Andersons, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Barry Anderson, 52, and his sons Ashton, 20, and Logan, 19, deny murder, as do Tyler Leadbetter and Ajay Henry, both 18, who were passengers in the car.

Ashton Anderson, who admits driving into the victim and impaling him on a metal shelf, denied his group were out for revenge.

Ashton Anderson previously told jurors he had only meant to "scare" Daniel Ambler away when he drove his Nissan X-Trail at him on the forecourt of the Stockton Road Esso garage on 15 January.

The court has heard Daniel Ambler was rammed by the car into the fuel station's shop, with a shard of metal from some shelves going through his neck and killing him.

On his second day giving evidence, and under cross-examination from prosecutor Matthew Donkin KC, Ashton Anderson denied it was a planned and co-ordinated attack.

The court has heard Barry Anderson and Logan Anderson travelled from Peterlee and Hartlepool respectively after Ashton Anderson alerted them to seeing Daniel Ambler in Seaham.

Jurors have heard a feud began in 2025 when the victim's brother David Ambler allegedly stole car keys from Barry Anderson, with subsequent incidents including the Andersons' vehicles being set alight, house windows smashed and Barry Anderson being stabbed in the stomach.

Ashton Anderson told jurors he was "scared" when he saw Daniel Ambler on 15 January as the defendant had "loads of family" in Seaham.

He said he told his brother and father he had seen the victim, but when asked why he did that he said he did "not know".

Donkin asked why, if he was scared, he did not leave Seaham or go the restaurant he had been planning to attend with his partner and Henry and Leadbetter.

Ashton Anderson replied "don't know".

Instead he drove around the area where he had seen Daniel Ambler for about an hour until his brother and father arrived, the prosecutor said.

"It's a small area," Ashton Anderson said when asked why he drove "round and round".

The prosecutor asked if the truth was Ashton Anderson was "looking" for the victim, to which the defendant replied "no".

Donkin asked Ashton Anderson what he was scared of, with the defendant replying "something happening" to him or his family.

Ashton Anderson said someone had tried to ram him off his motorbike two nights earlier and his puppy had been poisoned.

When asked who was responsible for those incidents, Ashton Anderson said he did not know, although he later said they "knew who was behind" the stabbing of his father and named David Ambler.

"How did you feel about all the bad history between your family and the Ambler family?" Donkin asked.

"Well I wouldn't say I was happy," Ashton Anderson said, before later adding: "I didn't like them."

He accepted the prosecutor's claim that the background to Daniel Ambler's death was "horrible between the two families", and when asked what his father's feelings towards the Amblers were, Ashton Anderson replied: "He's not going to like them is he, he's just been stabbed off them."

"Did you want some revenge?" Donkin asked.

"No," Ashton Anderson replied.

Ashton previously told the court he offered to plead guilty to the manslaughter of Daniel Ambler and felt "terrible" for killing him.

The trial continues.

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