Elle Edwards: Pub shooting accused's past actions 'not the best'

Elle Edwards was killed outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village on 24 December

A man accused of shooting a woman outside a pub told a jury he had "changed" since earlier offending.

Connor Chapman, 23, had previously dealt drugs, carried out a burglary and driven a stolen car, the court heard.

Mr Chapman denies the killing of Elle Edwards, who was shot with a Skorpion sub-machine gun outside the Lighthouse in Wallasey Village, on Christmas Eve.

Beginning his evidence at Liverpool Crown Court he said his past behaviour was "not the best".

Mark Rhind KC, defending, read out a list of his previous convictions, which included burglary, possession of a knife, possession of drugs, aggravated vehicle-taking and breaches of an anti-social behaviour order.

He said Mr Chapman's description of his past was "perhaps an understated way of describing that record".

The father-of-two said his behaviour had changed by the end of 2022, after he spent the previous four Christmases in custody.

He told the court: "I'd definitely calmed down.

"There's everything to suggest I haven't, but from the way I was acting in the past, yes, definitely."

Connor Chapman, 23, denies murder and seven other charges

He said "everything" had changed when he was released from custody in June or July last year.

"I had my daughter while I was in custody. It had a big effect on me so I wanted to change the way I was living, because I knew I didn't want to go back to custody," he said.

"I'd done enough time in custody for just general petty crimes, so I got out and tried to sort my life out and it just didn't go the way I planned."

Mr Chapman said he got a job but when it "didn't work out" he went back to doing what he "knew best", and began selling cocaine, making about £400 a week.

He admitted participating in a burglary in November, which the prosecution alleged was one of the events leading to Ms Edwards' murder, said to be the culmination of a feud between gangs on the Woodchurch and Beechwood estates.

Curtis Byrne, who was also involved in the burglary, was shot five days later, the court heard.

Mr Chapman is alleged to have driven from his home in Woodchurch to the pub

Mr Chapman said the shooting of Mr Byrne had "nothing to do" with the burglary and told the court he had not felt angry about his friend being shot.

He was asked about an assault on 23 December, which was carried out on Sam Searson by Jake Duffy and Kieran Salkeld, who were alleged to be the intended targets of the Lighthouse shooting.

The defendant said he was not friends with Mr Searson and was the "opposite to upset" about the attack.

"If you want me to be completely honest, I did think it was quite amusing," he said.

He told the court his mother was friends with Mr Duffy's mother and they had grown up together.

Mr Chapman denied being part of an organised crime group and told the jury: "I wouldn't really say there is a gang on the Woodchurch, it's just more people who hang round on the Woodchurch itself."

He admitted he had been driving the stolen Mercedes used by the gunman since about November.

But he said it was a "pool car" and was used by at least three other people.

• Row drew gunman to pub before shooting, court told

• Pub gunman and accused dressed alike, trial told

• Jury shown type of gun used in Christmas shooting

Mr Chapman has denied the murder of Ms Edwards, 26, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He further denies a third count of wounding with intent, which has been amended to a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm.

The 23-year-old also denied possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Co-defendant Thomas Waring, 20, of Private Drive, Barnston, Wirral, denies possessing a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender by helping Mr Chapman dispose of the car.

The trial continues.