First photo of man who assisted gunman Connor Chapman after he shot Elle Edwards dead

Thomas Waring, the man who helped Connor Chapman after he fatally shot Elle Edwards outside a Wirral pub on Christmas Eve, has been pictured for the first time.

Waring, 20, was today found guilty of possession of a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender.

Ms Edwards, a beautician, was enjoying a drink with friends on December 24 last year at the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey when she was gunned down with a sub-machine gun. Chapman shot the innocent 26-year-old twice in the head as she sat perched on a raised wooden flower bed outside the entrance, the Liverpool Echo reports.

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Five men, including the intended targets Kieran Salkeld and Jake Duffy, were also injured in the attack. The trial heard the attack was the culmination of a feud between groups on the Woodchurch and Beechwood estates, on either side of the M53 in Wirral.

Following the shooting, Chapman drove the stolen Mercedes he was driving to his long-term friend Waring's home on Private Drive, Barnston. CCTV from the street showed a figure with long hair walking along and dropping the gun, which skidded along the floor.

Although the murder weapon was never recovered, an investigation revealed Chapman’s DNA in a mixed sample on a bullet casing found at the scene and on a red glove recovered from Waring’s home which matched one the gunman was wearing. A single particle of gunshot residue was also present on the glove.

A taxi, booked by Waring under a fake name and with a vague pick up point, took Chapman home to Woodchurch at around 5am on Christmas morning, the court heard. The pair then took steps to cover up their vile crime by driving in convoy to a