Elle Edwards had been enjoying a festive drink when she was shot dead
By Lauren Hirst & Tom Mullen
BBC News
The gunman who shot dead Elle Edwards outside a pub on Christmas Eve has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 48 years.
Ms Edwards was an innocent bystander when Connor Chapman opened fire with a sub-machine gun as he targeted two men in the culmination of a gang feud.
The beautician, 26, was enjoying a night out with friends when she was shot outside the Lighthouse in Wirral.
Chapman, 23, was found guilty of her murder at Liverpool Crown Court.
Members of her family shouted “goodbye lad”, “scumbag” and “rat” as he was taken down to the cells.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Goose told him: “What you did, Connor Chapman, was as wicked as it was shocking.
“You murdered Elle Edwards, bringing an end to her young life.”
He described Chapman as a “highly dangerous man” who carefully pre-meditated and planned the “revenge attack”.
“You spent the days afterwards removing or destroying evidence that would identify you as the gunman.”
Co-defendant Thomas Waring, 20, was jailed for nine years for helping Chapman burn out a stolen Mercedes used in the shooting.
Image source, Merseyside Police
Connor Chapman and Thomas Waring were convicted following a three-and-a-half week trial
In a statement read to the court, Ms Edwards’ mother Gaynor – who did not attend the hearing – said she “cannot accept” her daughter had gone.
“I still think she’ll come home,” she said.
“I cannot put into words how much I miss and love her.”
Ms Edwards’ older brother Connor said he had last spoken to his sister on the night she died.
“I was curious to know what the plans were going to be for Christmas day as Elle was going to be cooking Christmas dinner with mum for the first time, usually Dad cooks,” he said.
“I told Elle to have a good night, we said we loved each other.
“This was the last time we spoke.”
He said he now went to bed each night “with a constant hit of grief”.
“The days that followed were just horrific. Visiting my sister lying in the mortuary looking as beautiful as ever with a small patch above her right eye.
“That moment will never ever leave me, I shouldn’t have been there and she didn’t deserve this.”
Her grandmother described her as “beyond caring, beyond kind, beyond generous and loving”, adding she was “very special to me and my best friend”.
“If I were to die tomorrow, the coroner would write on my death certificate ’cause of death: she died of a broken heart’.
“I miss my angel princess so much it hurts.”
Elle Edwards’ father said he hopes her killer will never see Christmas again
Speaking outside court, Elle’s father Tim said he hoped his daughter’s killer would never see Christmas again.
“If I’m lucky enough to be around for a long time yet, I’ll do my best to make sure he never comes out of jail,” he said.
“Things need to change, and we’ve made a start with that. If you think about picking up a gun now you should think twice about it.”
Image source, PA Media
Ms Edwards was fatally shot outside the Lighthouse pub
The trial heard the shooting was the culmination of a feud between gangs on the Woodchurch estate, where Chapman lived, and the Beechwood, or Ford, estate on the opposite side of the M53.
Chapman lay in wait outside the pub in Wallasey Village for almost three hours before firing the weapon, which is used by some militaries and is capable of firing 15 rounds a second.
The prosecution said Chapman was attempting to kill Kieran Salkeld and Jake Duffy, both of whom were seriously injured in the shooting.
The pair, from the Beechwood estate, had attacked another man, Sam Searson, in the street the day before, the court heard.
Three other men who were unconnected to the feud, Harry Loughran, Liam Carr and Nicholas Speed, were also hurt.
Mr Justice Goose said what Chapman did was “as wicked as it was shocking”
Nigel Power KC, prosecuting, revealed Chapman had recorded a rap video while in custody last year after an aggravated burglary at his mother’s home.
In the video, he made comments including: “If I make it out of here I’m due to become famous because if you touch one of mine, I’ll leave your soul on the pavement.”
He also said: “I know I’ve been a scumbag but I’m proud of that. “
Image source, Merseyside Police/PA Media
Chapman used a Skorpion sub-machine gun similar to one shown to the jury
Chapman’s defence barrister Mark Rhind KC said there was “very little” mitigation.
“I cannot suggest there is remorse,” he said.
He said Chapman had two children, one whom he had never met, and they would be middle-aged by the time he was released.
Arguing against a whole-life term, he said Chapman was only 23.
“People do not fully develop until the age of 25. Until then they may not see the full consequence of their actions,” he said.
“Full-life terms are usually given to people much older.”
Connor Chapman’s attack was captured in CCTV
Chapman was also convicted of two counts of attempted murder, two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, as well as possession of a gun.
He pleaded guilty before the trial to a charge of handling stolen goods.
Waring was convicted of possession of a prohibited firearm and assisting an offender and pleaded guilty before the trial to failing to comply with a disclosure notice.
Det Supt Paul Grounds, from Merseyside Police, said: “The cowardly actions of Chapman on that night, firing at his intended targets while they were stood outside in a crowd, shows the arrogance and contempt he had for everyone.
“Today Chapman is behind bars where he rightly belongs.”
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