The man who shot Elle Edwards outside a Merseyside pub on Christmas Eve has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 48 years at Liverpool crown court.
Connor Chapman, 23, used a military-grade submachine gun to spray bullets at a group of people from a rival housing estate outside the Lighthouse Inn, in Wallasey, Wirral, his trial heard.
Edwards, a 26-year-old beautician, who was described in court as a “wholly innocent bystander”, was killed when she was hit in the head by two bullets.
Chapman was convicted of her murder and seven other counts, including firearms charges and attempted murder, on Thursday after a three-and-a-half-week trial.
Chapman’s co-defendant, Thomas Waring, 20, was sentenced to nine years in jail after being found guilty on Thursday of the possession of a prohibited firearm and assisting an offender, by helping to burn out the stolen Mercedes used during the attack.
Handing down the life sentence, Mr Justice Goose said Chapman was a “highly dangerous man” who did not care who he murdered in pursuit of rival gang members.
He told the killer: “They were not all together, they just happened to be there. What you did to them was as wicked as it was shocking.
“You murdered Elle Edwards, bringing to an end her young life. You attempted to murder Jake Duffy and Kieran Salkeld, causing them very serious injury.
“You obtained a submachine gun loaded with 12 bullets and prepared to fire all of them. Your intention was to murder Jake Duffy and Kieran Salkeld. You didn’t care who else would be killed. That’s why you fired all the bullets at the group. I’m satisfied you are a highly dangerous man.
“It’s utterly shocking you carefully planned a revenge attack in a gang rivalry. You had no thought for anyone else. The risks of what you did were as high as they were obvious.”
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Edwards’s father, Tim, described her as “the most caring, beautiful, happy person” who had had a bright future ahead.
He said: “Her permanent smile would light up any room she entered. She would always greet you with a hug and ask how are you doing. She always gave the best hugs, and it was always enough to lift you if you were having a bad day.
“Elle was trying her hardest to make something of herself. She always got to where she wanted to be. She was reaching her peak and the happiest I’ve ever seen her. She had such a bright future.
“I can’t begin to explain the devastating effect this has. Only people who go through such a horrific experience can ever know how it feels.
“I hope the people in this room never have to experience what we are going through now. We have been given a life sentence. Whenever we celebrate birthdays, Easter, family celebrations there will always be Elle missing.”
A video played during the trial showed how five men were injured and Edwards was killed when Chapman opened fire with a Škorpion submachine gun after rounding the corner of the pub from the car park.
The court heard that the shooting came after a series of back and forth attacks between the groups from the Woodchurch and Ford estates, on either side of the M53 in Wirral, which included assaults, burglaries and shootings.
The prosecution said the attack had been an attempt to kill Duffy and Salkeld, two men from a rival gang who had attacked Chapman’s associate Sam Searson the day before. Both were seriously injured in the shooting.
After the murder, Chapman went on the run to Wales, where he was arrested in a supermarket two weeks later.
During his trial, Chapman denied being the shooter but CCTV and evidence from mobile phone cell towers was used to prove he was the man who had carried out the attack.
In addition, the prosecution demonstrated DNA evidence linking Chapman to a bullet casing found at the scene. It said this was “hugely significant” and provided a strong link from the defendant to the discharged bullet.
