Pub gunman ‘alerted to presence of targets following altercation with woman’

Connor Chapman is accused of murdering Elle Edwards and injuring five others in the Wirral.

Elle Edwards was killed in a shooting outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral (Family handout/PA) (PA Media)

A gunman who opened fire outside a pub, killing a beautician, was alerted to the presence of his intended targets after one of them was in an altercation with a woman, a court heard.

Connor Chapman, 23, is accused of killing 26-year-old Elle Edwards and injuring five others when he allegedly opened fire with a Skorpion sub-machine outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, Merseyside, just before midnight on December 24 last year.

He is alleged to have targeted Kieran Salkeld and Jake Duffy in the culmination of a feud between groups on the Woodchurch and Beechwood estates, on either side of the M53 motorway in Wirral.

On Monday, Liverpool Crown Court heard a woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had an altercation with Mr Salkeld in the pub earlier on Christmas Eve and a drink was poured over her.

Mark Rhind KC, defending Chapman, said the prosecution theory was the woman had “disclosed the presence of either Kieran Salkeld or Jake Duffy or both of them to somebody, and that’s come into Connor Chapman’s knowledge”.

Under cross-examination by Mr Rhind, Detective Constable Steve Duke agreed there was no evidence of a direct connection between the woman and Chapman.

The jury was told following the altercation the woman rang a man, who cannot be named, shortly after 8.15pm and the man then attempted to call Chapman twice.

The calls did not connect but the man did get through to Thomas Waring, who is charged with assisting an offender.

Chapman is alleged to have driven from his home in Woodchurch to the pub in a stolen Mercedes A Class at 8.44pm, eight minutes after the second attempt by the man to call him.

The court heard the woman left the pub before making the calls, then returned and left again, after more drinks were thrown at her.

CCTV footage showed her walk past the stolen Mercedes used by the gunman, which parked on Green Lane opposite the pub, at 9.05pm.

Mr Duke agreed she could not be seen acknowledging the person in the Mercedes, who the prosecution allege is Chapman.

The jury was told the prosecution expected to close its case on Tuesday.

Chapman denies the murder of Ms Edwards, two counts of attempted murder and three counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous 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.

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