Connor Chapman has told a jury why he helped to torch the Mercedes which was used in the murder of Elle Edwards.
The 23-year-old is currently standing trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of murdering the beautician, who was shot dead aged 26 outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey, Wirral, on Christmas Eve last year. The alleged gunman continued to give evidence from the witness box for a second day this morning, Wednesday.
Chapman previously admitted a charge of handling stolen goods in relation a black Mercedes A Class which was driven from his home on Houghton Road in Woodhurch to the scene of the shooting by the perpetrator, and then onwards to Private Drive in Barnston - the street where co-defendant Thomas Waring lives. Defence counsel Mark Rhind KC today asked his client to give his explanation as to why he was involved in the burning out of this vehicle - which he said was used by him and others as a "pool car", and was allegedly collected by an unnamed man on the evening of December 24 and never returned - at a remote location in Frodsham on New Year's Eve.
READ MORE: Elle Edwards latest: Live updates as Connor Chapman enters witness box
He said: "I knew the car hadn’t been burnt out. I never took any precaution to not be forensically linked to that car.
"I spoke to someone who had been speaking to the person who come and collected the car. We're talking a week after the car had been involved.
"The car had been parked in the Lighthouse for three hours. It didn't make sense a week later that somebody would have that car.
"The car had been involved in a murder. I don’t think it takes a criminal to understand, the normal process would be you would just burn the car wouldn’t you?
"I decided to locate the person, locate the car and get it burnt. Tom had spoken to them.
"Thomas was having a party on New Year's Eve, and the person was meant to be going to Tom’s. There was a good few people going.
"It was somebody everyone hangs around, where most people go. It’s out the way."
Chapman claimed that the man had been planning to sell the Mercedes, adding: "I was the one who suggested that the car be burnt out. They wanted to sell it.
"He was going to let it die down and sell the car, it just leaves bread crumbs and tracing stuff back. We had a disagreement about it."
Mr Rhind asked what Chapman's "role" was, and he replied: "Literally just to pick him up and drop it off. There was only one way the car was going to get burnt out and that was if I was going to be involved in it."
When the defence silk quizzed his client on whether he had "physically" torched the car, he responded: "I did not put petrol on the car. No."
However, Chapman confessed to being present when the vehicle was set on fire. Mr Rhind continued: "Then where do you go?"
The defendant said: "From that point, I dropped the person off in Bromborough and I went back to Tom’s for 20 minutes. It must have been 20 minutes, half an hour."
Chapman denies Elle's murder, attempting to murder Kieran Salkeld and Jake Duffy, wounding with intent against Liam Carry and Harry Loughran, assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Nicholas Speed and possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life. He will continue to be cross-examined by the prosecution tomorrow, Thursday.
Twenty-year-old Waring has pleaded not guilty to possession of a prohibited weapon and handling stolen goods. The trial continues.
