Elle Edwards: Connor Chapman guilty of Christmas Eve pub murder

Elle Edwards was an innocent bystander when she was shot outside a pub

A man has been found guilty of murdering Elle Edwards who was shot outside a pub on Christmas Eve.

Ms Edwards was an innocent bystander when Connor Chapman opened fire with a sub-machine gun as he targeted two men in the culmination of a gang feud.

The beautician, 26, was enjoying a night out with friends when she was shot outside the Lighthouse in Wirral.

Tim Edwards called his daughter's killer "a coward" as he was taken down to the cells at Liverpool Crown Court.

He had tears in his eyes and stared at Chapman as the verdicts were returned and quietly said, "yes".

Speaking outside court, he said: "It's a big relief because now we can start again.

"We've been through hell and we deserve now to be given a life back that we had before, which will never be the same.

"It's now a new chapter, it's a new beginning for our family.

"It's the worst day, but the best of the worst days."

Co-defendant Thomas Waring, 20, was also 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.

Mr Justice Goose said he would sentence Chapman and Waring at 14:00 BST on Friday.

• 'My daughter's murderer can rot in hell'

• Elle Edwards: Another senseless murder on Merseyside

As the judge told the security guards to take both men to the cells, Mr Edwards said "coward" to Chapman, who had hidden in the far corner of the dock to try to keep out of view.

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

Connor Chapman and Thomas Waring were convicted following a three-and-a-half week trial

The prosecution said Chapman was attempting to kill Kieran Salkeld and Jake Duffy, both of whom were seriously injured in the shooting.

The pair, from the Beechwood estate, had attacked another man, Sam Searson, in the street the day before, the trial was told.

Three other men who were unconnected to the feud, Harry Loughran, Liam Carr and Nicholas Speed, 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 was capable of firing 15 rounds a second.

He told the jury 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, whom he refused to name.

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

He was then seen in the footage appearing to drop the gun as he walked towards Waring's home.

Ms Edwards was fatally shot outside the Lighthouse pub

Chapman admitted a charge of handling stolen goods before the trial started.

He told the jury on 31 December 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 mobile phone evidence showed Waring's phone travelled with the car.

Chapman fled to a holiday home in Montgomery in Wales and was arrested at a Tesco store in Newtown in Wales on 10 January.

Chapman was also found guilty 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 gun and ammunition.

Both men were convicted following a three-and-a-half week trial with the jury deliberating for three hours and 48 minutes.

Chapman used a Skorpion sub-machine gun similar to the one which was shown to the jury

On Thursday morning, before the jury was sent out to deliberate, Waring appeared in the dock with a red mark visible above his eye and on his cheekbone.

In a hearing which can be reported following the conclusion of the trial, William England, defending Waring, said he had been attacked after arriving back at HMP Altcourse on Wednesday.

He said: "He was smashed around the side of the face with a kettle and told 'that's what happens to grasses'."

Mr England said the man who carried out the attack later said if he had not done it, he would have been stabbed.

Waring did not give evidence in the trial but, in cross-examination, his barrister suggested Chapman had gone to his home on Private Drive, Barnston, following the shooting.

Chapman claimed he was at home all night and denied claims he was the man seen on CCTV near Waring's home.

Speaking after the verdict, Det Supt Paul Grounds said Chapman had "continued to deny his involvement in Elle's death, forcing her family to endure the ordeal of a trial where they have had to relive over and over the last moments of her life".

"His cowardly actions on that night rightly shocked the whole of Merseyside and the UK," he said.

He said Chapman's decision to fire at the crowd outside the pub showed the "arrogance and contempt he had for anyone else".

Waring helped to burn out the stolen Mercedes after Ms Edwards was murdered

Det Supt Grounds said the jury had "seen through" Chapman's lies and "righty convicted him", adding: "I am pleased that we have secured justice for Elle and her family and that a dangerous man has been removed from the streets."

Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell said the force has worked "around the clock" with many officers "forsaking their own Christmases" to support the victims, reassure people nearby and "bring Chapman to justice".

She said she wanted to thank the "many brave witnesses" who came forward with evidence "to ensure this toxic individual was brought to justice and the wider community of Wallasey who pulled together with empathy and compassion".

"Dangerous, ruthless individuals like Chapman will never be welcome in Merseyside."