For the first few weeks of the year, conversation in Andrea’s barber shop in Wallasey Village rarely moved away from Elle Edwards.
The front window of the premises looks out onto the Lighthouse pub where the 26-year-old was tragically gunned down last Christmas Eve. As owner Andrea Williams, 62, was cutting the hair of customers, a steady stream of people could be seen adding to the flowers left by the police cordon.
“It was so sad," Andrea told the ECHO, sitting in the back room of the barber shop. Only recently has the busy high street started to return to some normality, with the Lighthouse gradually looking as busy as its old self during the June heatwave, according to Andrea.
READ MORE: Floral tributes left alongside mural for much-loved Elle Edwards
Seven months on, the tragedy remains at the forefront of the people’s thoughts. Last Friday, July 7, drug-dealer Connor Chapman, 23, was sentenced to spend at least 48 years in prison for taking the life of the young beautician in a botched gangland hit.
“Wholly innocent” Elle, had been enjoying a night out with her sister and friends when she was caught in a hail of bullets outside the Lighthouse pub. Elle was struck in the head and died almost instantly, while five men were also injured, one critically.
Last Thursday, July 6, A jury of seven women and five men came to a unanimous decision on Chapman's guilt after three hours and 48 minutes of deliberation, following a three and a half week trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Chapman’s friend Thomas Waring, 20, was also convicted of possession of a prohibited weapon, and assisting an offender by helping Chapman torch a stolen black Mercedes car used to flee the scene.
The 20-year-old was sentenced to nine years in prison. Trial judge Mr Justice Goose described Chapman as a "highly dangerous man".
Labour MP for Wallasey Angela Eagle told the ECHO that it was a “relief that justice has been done.” She hopes the sentence will serve as a strong deterrent for a “wanton” crime and that people will continue to report information to the police with confidence it will be acted upon.
“I’m glad they threw the book at him,” said the owner of a business a few doors down from the Lighthouse. The owner, who did not want to be named, described Chapman's action as an “isolated incident” for Wallasey Village, adding that it was “not systemic.”
Businesses in the area were defiant in the days after, according to local Cllr Ian Lewis. He said many premises would normally close over the festive season, but lights were seen on with doors open in the days after the shooting.
However some local residents were expectedly overcome with concern. Their village, set within a picturesque backdrop of elevated church spires, well kept front gardens and a pristine golf course with beach views, was one which woke to unimaginable news on Christmas morning.
Fellow Conservative councillor for Wallasey, Lesley Rennie, recalls going door-to-door to reassure residents in the days after the incident. Some residents would only open their door ajar when answering, the deputy leader of the Wirral Conservative group remembers.
“People were scared, they were frightened to go to the station,” said Cllr Rennie, “people didn’t know what to do,” adding: “It sounds cliché, but it is something that you would never expect to happen in your own area. There was no history of gun crime.”
As a community response started to take shape, the councillors noted how the United Reform Church a few doors down from the Lighthouse became the base for police operations. Volunteers would be inside cooking food to bring out to those on the street.
Cllr Lewis was one of those on the ground on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. “There is no manual for this,” he said, thinking back to the challenge of finding the right words for people struggling to comprehend what had happened in their area.
The pair underscored how The Lighthouse is a community pub enjoyed by multiple generations, a feeling shared by many locals in the area. It wouldn't be unusual for the more elderly to visit in the day, younger parents attend in the evening with a younger crowd present later on.
Whole families will therefore have been left fearing the worst when news of the shooting emerged. Cllr Lewis recalls how it took a few weeks for the incident to hit home for some residents.
Drop in therapy sessions were later arranged by the elected member and took place at Stollies and Community Soup cafes further along the high street. “There was a demand for it, something for people on their doorstep,” remembered Cllr Lewis, “[people] just wanted to talk.”
Speaking about the conclusion to the trial, he added: “The police, local community and jury all did their bit. From the local community point of view, everybody stepped up and did what they had to do.”
Referencing a new mural of Elle which has been painted in New Brighton, Cllr Rennie said this is only one aspect of a lasting legacy for the beautician, adding: “People don’t want this to go unnoticed.”
As for the Christmas season to come, Cllr Lewis expects this to be a challenging period for Wallasey, but one where the community will show its strength - as it has done for the last seven months. “You cannot concede,” he added.
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