Man charged with murdering Elle Edwards in pub shooting to face June trial

Connor Chapman is charged with nine offences related to the incident at the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, on December 24.

Elle Edwards died after being shot on Christmas Eve (Merseyside Police/PA) (PA Media)

A trial date has been set for a man accused of the murder of Elle Edwards, who was killed in a shooting at a pub on Christmas Eve.

Connor Chapman, 22, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court via videolink from HMP Manchester on Monday.

He is charged with nine offences related to the incident at the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, on December 24.

Ms Edwards, a 26-year-old beautician, was fatally shot just before midnight on December 24 but is not believed to have been the intended target of the attack, which left four men injured.

Chapman, wearing a black Nike padded jacket and with long hair, spoke to confirm his name and date of birth during the hearing, which lasted about 10 minutes.

Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC remanded him in custody to appear for a plea and trial preparation hearing on April 17.

He fixed a trial date for June 7, with the case expected to last three to four weeks.

As well as murder, Chapman is charged with the attempted murder of of Jake Duffy and Kieran Salkeld and three counts of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm of Harry Loughran, Nicholas Speed and Liam Carr.

He is also charged with possessing a converted Scorpion sub-machine gun and ammunition with intent to endanger life on Christmas Eve and handling stolen goods, a Mercedes A class vehicle, between December 22 and 26.