Man accused of Christmas Eve shooting refuses to name those involved

A man accused of killing a woman outside of a pub on Christmas Eve has refused to name those involved in court.

Connor Chapman, 23, allegedly murdered Elle Edwards, 26, by firing a Skorpion sub-machine gun outside the Lighthouse in Wallasey Village, Wirral, Merseyside, shortly before midnight on December 24 last year. Giving evidence at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday (June 28), Chapman denied driving to the pub in a stolen Mercedes A-Class car and waiting in the area for around three hours before the incident.

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He claimed a man went to collect the key for the 'pool car' shortly before 9pm. He added that he knew the person who collected the car but that he never "asked the question".

Asked by Nigel Power KC, prosecuting, who that person was, Chapman said: “It’s not as simple as naming the person. There’s repercussions for naming that person who came and picked the car up.”

Asked again if he would tell the court who it was, he said: “At this stage, no.” Mr Power asked at what stage he might tell the court.

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Chapman replied: “I don’t believe I am going to, no.” He also told the court there was "trouble" between people on the Woodchurch estate where he lived and the Ford estate on the other side of the M53 in Wirral.

The shooting was supposedly the culmination of a feud between groups in the two areas, the court heard. Chapman said in the days following the murder that he shared a Facebook post by someone from the Ford estate calling for people to "put down these guns and knives".

In the post, Chapman said: "It’s not that deep, it’s not