Man guilty of murdering Elle Edwards outside Merseyside pub on Christmas Eve

6 July 2023, 15:35 | Updated: 6 July 2023, 17:04

Man guilty of murdering Elle Edwards outside Merseyside pub on Christmas Eve
Man guilty of murdering Elle Edwards outside Merseyside pub on Christmas Eve. Picture: LBC / Alamy / Merseyside Police

By Emma Soteriou

A man has been found guilty of murdering beautician Elle Edwards, who was shot at a pub in Wallasey on Christmas Eve.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Elle Edwards, 26, was shot when Connor Chapman, 23, fired 12 shots into a group of people outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, Merseyside, shortly before midnight on December 24 last year.

Chapman was convicted of her murder, and seven other counts, following a three-and-a-half week trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

Co-defendant Thomas Waring, 20, was found guilty of the possession of a prohibited firearm and assisting an offender by helping to burn out the stolen Mercedes used in the shooting.

Ms Edwards' father, Tim, said the conviction meant the family could start going forward.

"It just means he's off the streets, someone else is not going to suffer at the hands of him," he said.

"Unfortunately Elle was his last victim but thankfully she will be the last person he does anything to and he can go fade away."

Read more: 'Wholly innocent' beautician Elle Edwards gunned down with sub-machine gun in 'feud between two rival gangs'

Read more: Elle Edwards heartbroken dad carries her coffin into her funeral after she was shot dead on Christmas Eve

CCTV shows moment of attack on pub which killed Elle Edwards

The trial heard the attack was the culmination of a feud between groups on the Woodchurch and Beechwood estates, on either side of the M53 in Wirral.

The prosecution alleged Chapman was attempting to kill Kieran Salkeld and Jake Duffy - both having been 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: Harry Loughran, Liam Carr and Nicholas Speed; who were unconnected to the feud, were also injured in the shooting.

Chapman lay in wait outside the pub in a stolen Mercedes for almost three hours before firing the weapon, which the court heard was capable of firing 15 rounds a second, the jury heard.

He said he had not been using the vehicle, which he described as a "pool car" for him and other criminals, on the night of the murder but had given the car key to another man, who he refused to name.

CCTV footage showed the gunman drive away from the Lighthouse in the moments after the shooting and then arrive at Private Drive in Barnston, the home address of co-defendant Waring.

The man, with long hair, was seen in the footage appearing to drop the gun as he walked towards Waring's home. Chapman admitted a charge of handling stolen goods before the trial started and told the jury on December 31 he had travelled with the unnamed man who took the car key when the Mercedes was burnt out in Frodsham, Cheshire.

He denied that Waring had been with him, although cell site evidence showed Waring's phone travelled with the car.

CCTV shows Elle Edwards in pub on night of murder

Senior investigating officer in the case, Detective Superintendent Paul Grounds, described Chapman as a "dangerous and ruthless individual".

"Connor Chapman knew exactly what he was doing when he left his home address on December 24, getting in a stolen car in possession of a Skorpion machine pistol," he said.

"He drove to the Lighthouse pub where he spent a number of hours there before finding a car parking space that gave him a real clear view of who was outside.

"He then left his car with no regard for anybody else, intent on firing that gun at his intended targets, Kieran Salkeld and Jake Duffy, with not a care of what would happen to anybody else who was stood outside of the pub."

Chapman was also found guilty 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 Skorpion sub-machine gun with intent to endanger life and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

People thought to be migrants board a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Picture date: Saturday May 31, 2025.

Starmer 'loses control' on immigration as 1,200 migrants cross Channel in a day

US prosecutors allege Miller was working with a Chinese national to illegally acquire weapons systems and other classified equipment for the Chinese government.

British businessman 'caught spying for China' faces 40 years in US prison after FBI sting

Dani captioned the post of the newly weds 'The Bowens'

Love Island's Dani Dyer and West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen tie knot in 'Bridgerton-inspired' ceremony

Paris St Germain sweep aside Inter Milan to win Champions League

Paris St-Germain thrash Inter Milan with record 5-0 win - becoming Champions of Europe for the first time

A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Picture date: Saturday May 31, 2025.

Coastguard resources 'stretched thin' by migrant rescues as fishing boats urged to help yacht in trouble

Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar was killed in an Israeli airstrike

Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar 'eliminated' in airstrike on tunnel under south Gaza hospital, IDF confirms

Brandon Moore is a rugby league player.

Rugby league star missing as wife issues desperate plea to find father of three

Thicke and his long-term partner tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

'Through Thicke and thin': Robin Thicke gets hitched to model April Love Geary in Mexico after seven-year engagement

Police officers look at the remains of a crashed plane on the terrace of a residential building in Korschenbroich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (David Young/dpa via AP)

Two people die after small plane crashes into house in Germany

Aziz Ziriat had been hiking in the Dolomites with his friend.

Body of British hiker missing in Italy since January found at foot of mountain as family praise rescuers' 'commitment'

Emergency services were called to Frith Road, Croydon, just after 9am on Saturday and treated two injured people at the scene.

Woman in her 20s stabbed to death in 'tragic' incident in Croydon as man arrested on suspicion of murder

WFP distribute flour to Palestinians struggling with hunger in Gaza.

Dozens of UN food lorries 'blocked and emptied' by desperate Palestinians

Hamas has agreed to release 10 living hostages and 18 bodies in response to the US' Gaza ceasefire proposals.

Hamas demands changes to US Gaza ceasefire plan - as US envoy Steve Witkoff slams 'totally unacceptable' proposal

Emergency services responded on Friday to a report of two children, a boy and a girl, who were facing difficulty in the water near the Royal Terrace Pier in Gravesend, Kent.

Body found in search for missing girl who vanished in the River Thames as rescued boy remains in stable condition

Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense, at NATO headquarters

Pete Hegseth warns Chinese invasion of Taiwan could be 'imminent'

Michael Mosley died while on holiday with his wife on the Greek island of Symi last year

Michael Mosley's family set up research project in his memory after TV doctor's tragic death on Greek island