Gunman who killed Elle Edwards in Wallasey loses appeal against his sentence

Connor Chapman must still serve at least 48 years behind bars

Author: Nathan MarshPublished 29th Feb 2024

The gunman who fatally shot a 26-year-old beautician outside a pub on Christmas Eve 2022 has lost a challenge against his 48-year minimum term life sentence at the Court of Appeal.

Connor Chapman, 23, was convicted of the murder of Elle Edwards, who was hit twice in the back of the head when he fired 12 shots from a Skorpion submachine gun outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, Merseyside.

A trial at Liverpool Crown Court last year was told five other people were injured in the shooting, with Chapman intending to murder two men - Jake Duffy and Kieran Salkeld.

The incident was said to be the culmination of a gang feud in Wirral, where there had been nine shootings in 2022.

At a hearing in London on Thursday, senior judges rejected Chapman's appeal against the length of his prison sentence.

The Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, who considered the case alongside Mrs Justice May and Mr Justice Foxton, said they concluded the sentence was "severe, but not manifestly excessive".

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