Connor Chapman was convicted on Thursday at Liverpool Crown Court of the murder of Elle Edwards, 26, a beautician, who was shot in the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village on Dec. 24, 2022.
The judge, Mr. Justice Goose, said Ms. Edwards was a “wholly innocent bystander” who was killed when Chapman fired into the pub with a Skorpion sub-machine gun.
The trial heard the shooting was the climax of a bitter war between two rival organised crime gangs on The Wirral, one from the Woodchurch estate, and the other from the Beechwood estate on the other side of the M57 motorway.
Mr. Chapman, who lived on the Woodchurch estate, was trying to kill rivals Jake Duffy and Kieran Salkeld, who were injured in the shooting. He then fled in a stolen Mercedes.
On Friday, Mr. Chapman was jailed for life with a minimum term of 48 years and fellow gang member Thomas Waring, 20, was given nine years in prison for possession of a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender.
‘As Wicked as It Was Shocking’
The judge said: “What you did Connor Chapman was as wicked as it was shocking. You murdered Elle, bringing an end to her life, and caused serious injury and wounded others ... You didn’t care who else was killed... you are a highly dangerous man.”Mr. Chapman was also convicted of two counts of attempted murder, two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possession of a Skorpion sub-machine gun with intent to endanger life, and possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life.
As he was led away, members of Ms. Edwards’s family shouted insults.
Family Say Killer and Accomplice Were ‘Cowards’
Speaking outside court after the verdicts om Thursday, Mr. Edwards said: “Those two cowards in there decided to drag it out for four weeks, put all these people through that and everyone else around it, involved in the case. I can’t thank the police enough for what they did and we got there in the end, the right result. I hope them two never see another Christmas again ever in their lives.”Detective Superintendent Paul Grounds, who led the investigation, said Chapman was a “dangerous and ruthless individual.”
He said: “He drove to the Lighthouse pub, where he spent a number of hours 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,” Mr. Grounds added.
The shooting was the culmination of a bitter feud and the jury was shown CCTV footage of Mr. Salkeld and Mr. Duffy assaulting Sam Searson, from the Woodchurch gang, the day before the murder.
Prosecutor Katy Appleton said Mr. Chapman had been served with an interim injunction “to prevent gang-related violence” on Oct. 26, 2022.
The order prohibited him from associating with several named individuals, including Mr. Salkeld, Mr. Duffy, and Mr. Searson.
