Pub shooting accused said ‘some people are ruthless’ after arrest, court hears

The man accused of murdering a 26-year-old woman outside a pub on Christmas Eve told a police officer “some people are ruthless” after his arrest, a court has heard.

Connor Chapman, 23, is accused of murdering Elle Edwards when he fired 12 shots from a Skorpion weapon outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, Merseyside, in what is alleged to be the culmination of a feud between groups of people on two estates.

On Thursday, Liverpool Crown Court heard Chapman was arrested at a Tesco store in Newtown, Powys, Wales, on January 10.

In his notes, he recorded Chapman saying: “Gun crime is at an all-time high. Some people are ruthless.

“There’s a time and a place for that shit.”

At one point Chapman talked about having a panic attack but then said he “doesn’t care about the murder, they haven’t got anything on me”, Pc Gates said.

The officer said Chapman told him he had seen footage on the news of the shooting and it sounded like an automatic gun firing 13 shots, rather than six or seven as had been reported in the newspapers.

Pc Gates also told the court Chapman said he “wasn’t fussed” about being in the custody suite for murder but “more about newspaper articles naming and shaming him”.

Chapman said he had been in the area since the day before to have his “baby’s birthday” before handing himself in, Pc Gates said.

The court has heard he was staying at Penllwyn Lodges, where a four-night stay had been booked for him with a “prosecco and petals” package.

Earlier on Thursday, the court was shown police body-worn camera footage showing witness Jaime Stanton describing the gunman, who opened fire shortly before midnight on December 24.

She said: “It was a targeted attack because he looked round the corner to see who was there and he turned round.

“He turned round and he looked at me dead in the eyes.

“I wanted to say to the people that were there ‘watch out’ but I couldn’t because he would have just shot me. It all happened so quick. He just went ‘bang, bang, bang’.”

She added: “I thought he was just going to batter them, I didn’t think he had a gun.”

Chapman denies the murder of Ms Edwards, two counts of attempted murder and three counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He also denies possession of a Skorpion sub-machine gun with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Co-defendant Thomas Waring, 20, of Private Drive, Barnston, Wirral, denies possessing a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender by helping Chapman to dispose of the car.

The trial will continue on Monday.