Elle Edwards' killer 'harboured' in loft, jury told

Roxanne Matthews, (second from left) and Danielle Dowdall, with a blue scarf covering her face, outside Liverpool Crown Court

Four people have gone on trial accused of helping a gunman avoid capture in the days after he shot dead a young woman outside a pub.

Roxanne Matthews, David Chambers, Danielle Dowdall and Paul Owen are all accused of assisting Connor Chapman after he murdered Elle Edwards, 26, outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey, Merseyside, on 24 December 2022.

Liverpool Crown Court heard Ms Matthews was alleged to have harboured Chapman at her home in Noctorum, Wirral, which had a converted loft room.

All four deny assisting Chapman, 24, who was jailed for a minimum of 48 years.

David Chambers, the uncle of Connor Chapman, outside Liverpool Crown Court

The jury was shown footage of the moment Ms Edwards was killed as she stood outside the pub.

She was hit in the head by two bullets fired from a Skorpion submachine gun as Chapman targeted two men who were standing near her in the smoking area.

On 2 January, 2023, the day after police had spoken to Chapman on the phone and urged him to hand himself in, he messaged Ms Matthews, 34, to ask where he could find tissues, the court heard.

Prosecutor Katy Appleton said: "The prosecution say that Roxanne Matthews is harbouring Connor Chapman at her home address, Ormond Mews, which explains the context of the messages."

The court heard on 7 January Ms Matthews messaged Chapman to ask if he was OK, and he replied: "Yeah just got up ha ha. Heavy this ha ha."

Paul Owen leaves Liverpool Crown Court

Ms Matthews replied saying "Feel awful for you" and told him she would "not be long", the court was told.

The jury was also told Ms Matthews harboured Chapman at her home until 9 January, when she booked a stay at the Penllwyn Lodges in Wales.

They heard she hired a blue Volkswagen T-cross for him and was driven to collect it by Chapman's uncle, 43-year-old Mr Chambers.

The court heard Mr Chambers also took a bag containing the clothes Chapman had worn at the time of the shooting to Ms Dowdall, 34, who allegedly kept hold of it until 13 January when she took it to the home of Mr Chambers' then partner.

Prosecutor Ms Appleton said that on the morning after Chapman was charged with murder Ms Dowdall's mother sent her a screenshot of a Merseyside Police press release, to which Ms Dowdall replied: "I know, I'm minding his... clothes."

Ms Appleton said Ms Dowdall and her mother later decided to steal from the bag of clothes jewellery bought by Chapman in Pandora before he carried out the shooting.

Chapman 'warned of police'

She said: "They obviously thought that they would get away with it but David Chambers discovered what they had done.

"Yet, Danielle Dowdall denied it, messaging David Chambers in February, saying 'Mate I'm not a thief' and 'I don't rob off my own'."

The court heard Mr Owen, 55, was alleged to have lent his car to Chapman so he could travel in convoy to a remote area in Cheshire on New Year's Eve.

He the allegedly burnt out a black Mercedes A-Class he drove to and from the murder scene.

The court heard he handed over the car to Chapman at the Horse and Jockey pub in Upton, and later messaged him saying: "Be careful, bacon everywhere."

Ms Appleton said: "The Crown suggest he was warning Chapman of the police presence."

Ms Dowdall, of Woodchurch, Wirral, denies one count of assisting an offender, Ms Matthews denies three counts of the offence, Mr Chambers, of no fixed abode, denies two counts and Mr Owen, also of Woodchurch, denies one count.