Wirral gun and drugs dealer involved in garage shooting jailed

Ch Insp Duncan Swan said Merseyside Police remained "relentless" in its pursuit of criminals like Lewis

A firearms dealer, who was involved in a shooting which Connor Chapman was acquitted of having a part in before he murdered Elle Edwards, has been jailed.

Merseyside Police said John Lewis and three others chased a man to a garage in Birkenhead in 2019 and opened fire.

The 23-year-old from Wirral was found guilty of his involvement in June 2022, while Chapman, who shot Ms Edwards in the following December, was acquitted.

Lewis, who was convicted of further crimes in August, received 24 years.

The force said Lewis was part of a "conspiracy to sell prohibited weapons" and played a "significant role in the supply of large quantities of Class A and B drugs".

It said he had been one of four men on motorbikes who followed a car on to a petrol station forecourt on Borough Road in Birkenhead on 26 November 2019.

One of the men then shot at the car several times, leaving its occupant needed hospital treatment for three gunshot wounds.

Police evidence showed where the shots hit the car carrying the person targeted by Lewis and three others

A force representative said the then 19-year-old Lewis, of Home Farm Road in Woodchurch, was identified as being on the other motorbike to the shooter and the attack was believed to be related to a long-running dispute between organised crime gangs on the "Woodchurch and Beechwood/Ford estates".

Lewis was found guilty of section 18 wounding, possession of a firearm and ammunition without a certificate in June 2022, but his co-accused Connor Chapman was cleared of a number of firearms offences.

Six months later, Ms Edwards was caught in the crossfire outside a Wirral pub on Christmas Eve as Chapman targeted other gang members.

He was sentenced to a minimum of 48 years in prison for her murder in July.

The police representative said Lewis faced a second trial in August, where he was found guilty of conspiracy to sell a revolver, a sub-machine gun and a semi-automatic pistol and conspiracy to supply drugs.

They said he was identified as part of Operation Venetic, an international investigation into the use of a mobile encryption service used by criminals, commonly referred to as Encrochat.

He was arrested in September 2020 after he revealed personal data including his postcode, the date he passed his driving test and both his and his son's birthdays.

Operation Venetic gathered photos the pair shared of drugs and money

Jailing Lewis for 24 years for all the offences at Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Stuart Driver KC said he was a "dangerous offender" who had carefully planned the shooting on Borough Road and who had a "shopping list" of firearms on offer "to generate extra profit".

Lewis's messages also led police to a second man, 34-year-old David Delap, of Egremont in Wirral, who was also involved in the drugs conspiracy.

Delap admitted his part at an earlier trial and was jailed for five-and-a-half years on Thursday.

Speaking after sentencing, senior crown prosecutor Leigh-Ann Wardman said Lewis was "a dangerous and long-term criminal" who had been "heavily involved in organised crime and the dark world of drugs and firearms".

"He distributed drugs on a commercial scale and either sold or transferred lethal firearms... to make even more money for himself," she said.

She added that while Delap was not involved in drugs supply "to the same extent" as Lewis, phone evidence had shown that they were "working together to distribute drugs".

"Men like Lewis and Delap bring misery, crime and violence to our communities," she said.

Ch Insp Duncan Swan said Merseyside Police remained "relentless" in its pursuit of such criminals and would use "all the powers and legislation available to us to stop the scourge of organised crime groups".

"Like many offenders before him, Lewis thought he was hiding behind a secure communications system," he added.​

"Instead, he collected overwhelming incriminating evidence of his criminality and will face a long time in prison."