The murder of a 26-year-old woman outside a pub on Christmas Eve involved “human tragedy in its purest and most appalling sense”, the trial of the alleged gunman has heard.
Connor Chapman, 23, is accused of killing Elle Edwards and injuring five men by opening fire with a Skorpion sub-machine gun outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, Merseyside, shortly before midnight on Christmas Eve.
In his closing speech at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday, Nigel Power KC, prosecuting, told the jury: “This is a trial that not just you 12 but many, many people will never forget.
“It involves human tragedy in its purest and most appalling sense.
“Gun crime often includes criminals shooting at each other, there’s no doubt that this is such an event, but of course here a young, beautiful, unconnected, innocent life was brutally ended as a direct result of the then ongoing, but for now at least paused, gun feud between the Ford estate on Wirral on the one hand and the Woodchurch estate on the other hand.”
Chapman, from the Woodchurch estate, is alleged to have been targeting Jake Duffy and Kieran Salkeld, from the Ford or Beechwood estate, after a series of violent incidents involving people from the two areas.
The court has heard that Chapman was served with an injunction in the months before the shooting, aimed at preventing gang-related violence.
Mr Power said: “Those injunctions served on him were about as much use as a chocolate teapot. They were treated with utter contempt by him.”
He told the court the CCTV evidence alone presented a “compelling case” against Chapman.
Referring to footage appearing to show the gunman, with long hair, drop the weapon after driving to an address following the shooting, Mr Power said: “Whoever that person is, he may not have Bette Davis eyes, but he’s got Connor Chapman’s hair.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the jury was told that Chapman’s co-defendant, Thomas Waring, accused of assisting an offender and possessing a prohibited weapon, would not give evidence in the case.
Mr Power said: “It was the ultimate in cowardice. He wouldn’t put his money where his mouth is, wouldn’t back it up with evidence.
“Thomas Waring effectively waved the white flag of surrender to evidence against him in terms of possessing that gun.”
Mark Rhind KC, defending Chapman, told the jury the case against his client was “circumstantial”.
He said: “There might be cases where evidence seems to be compelling from one perspective but when you look at it carefully and when you examine it it falls apart.”
Chapman denies murdering Ms Edwards, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He also denies having a Skorpion sub-machine gun with intent to endanger life and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
Waring denies possessing a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender by helping Chapman dispose of the car.
The trial will continue on Wednesday.
