Elle Edwards murder-accused tells court he was watching YouTube

Elle Edwards was killed outside a pub in Merseyside on Christmas Eve

A man accused of shooting a woman outside a pub on Christmas Eve has told a court he was watching a YouTube video on how to wrap presents at the time.

Connor Chapman has denied murdering Elle Edwards at the Lighthouse in Wallasey Village, Wirral, just before midnight on 24 December 2022.

He told Liverpool Crown Court he recalled watching the video because the gifts he had wrapped "looked scruffy".

He also told the jury he knew who shot Ms Edwards, but he would not name them.

The 23-year-old has previously denied driving to the pub in a stolen Mercedes A Class, which had been parked outside his home on Houghton Road, Woodchurch, and waiting in the area for about three hours before carrying out the attack, which also injured five others.

Giving evidence for a second day, he said he had been at home all night after returning from some Christmas shopping in Manchester at about 19:30 GMT and had been wrapping presents.

Asked if he had used his phone during that time, he told the court: "I tried to wrap the presents and it just looked scruffy.

"So I put into YouTube 'How to wrap presents' and watched that for like 10 minutes [and] maybe for another 40 minutes after that, I had music on on my phone."

The prosecution has alleged that Mr Chapman drove from his home in Woodchurch to the pub to carry out the shooting

He said he was contacted by another man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who asked to use the stolen Mercedes, which he described as a "pool car", and buy five bags of cocaine from him.

He claimed a man went to collect the key for the car just before 21:00.

"I know the person who came to get the car," he said.

"I never asked the question.

"What's understood doesn't need to be said."

Nigel Power KC, prosecuting, asked who that person was.

Mr Chapman said it was "not as simple as naming the person".

"There's repercussions for naming that person who came and picked the car up."

Asked again if he would tell the court who it was, he replied: "At this stage, no."

Mr Power asked when he might tell the court.

"I don't believe I am going to, no," Mr Chapman replied.

He said another man came to collect the car at 20:44, but he only had enough cocaine for three bags, so told the man to return later for the extra drugs, which he would leave outside his back door.

The court has been shown images of the car the prosecution said was used in the attack

Mr Chapman was then asked by his defence barrister, Mark Rhind KC, about the prosecution case that the man seen on CCTV outside his house at 20:44 drove straight from there to the Lighthouse and carried out the shooting.

"I find it pretty hard to believe it was just one person who sat outside the pub for three and a bit hours on his own," he replied.

"To me, it just doesn't make sense, but that's just my opinion."

He was also asked about CCTV, which appeared to show the alleged gunman returning to Mr Chapman's house at 05:20 the next day.

Mr Chapman said he assumed the man who collected the car keys had come back to collect two extra bags of cocaine.

He said he did not hear about the shooting until he spoke to his grandmother later that day, but admitted that he was involved in helping to burn out the Mercedes after he discovered it had been used in the shooting.

The jury has seen images of the car after it was burnt out

He said on 31 December, he found out it had not been burnt out fully and knew he would be linked to it forensically because he had been using it.

"The car had been involved in murder," he said.

"I don't think it takes a criminal to understand that the normal process for somebody wanting to get rid of evidence, so to speak, you would just burn the car, wouldn't you?"

Mr Rhind went on to ask him: "Did you murder Elle Edwards, Mr Chapman?"

"No," he replied.

Mr Chapman denies one count of murder, two of attempted murder, two of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He also denies possession of a Skorpion sub-machine gun with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life.

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