Murdered beautician’s dad reacts to her killer’s accomplice being freed early
The father of Elle Edwards has said he ‘felt sick’ after finding out her killer’s co-defendant is being released early from prison as part of a government scheme.
The 26-year-old beautician was shot dead outside a pub in Wallasey, Merseyside, on Christmas Eve in 2022 after being innocently caught in the middle of a gang feud.
Ms Edwards, who was described by her family as the ‘most beautiful and bright star out there’ died after being caught in the crossfire during festive celebrations.
Connor Chapman, 23, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 48 years after being found guilty of her murder.
Thomas Waring, 21, was imprisoned for nine years for possession of a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender.
Last week, Ms Edwards’s father Tim got a letter from the Ministry of Justice to say Waring would be released early as part of a scheme to free up prison spaces.
It said he could be freed as early as April 2026 – 15 months earlier than planned.
He told Sky News: ‘It makes me sick to think he’s being rewarded for his crimes, by being released early.
‘It pains me to think that this is the case, not just in our case but in other cases that are happening regularly.’
Earlier this year, the first of 1,100 inmates were released early to ease pressure on the prison system.
Some interviewed as they left jail thanked Sir Keir Starmer and his government – while others popped bottles of champagne.
Mr Edwards said he thought the government had ‘lost sight of the human aspect in this decision’ in an effort ‘to crunch numbers’.
Timeline: The murder of Elle Edwards
The timeline of events in the murder of Elle Edwards.
October 26 2022 – Connor Chapman is served with an interim injunction order, to prevent gang-related violence. It includes requirements not to enter the Woodchurch or Beechwood estates and not to associate with named individuals: including Jake Duffy, Kieran Salkeld and Sam Searson.
November 16 2022 – A further interim injunction order is served under the same terms.
November 28 2022 – Chapman carries out a burglary with two other men, Curtis Byrne and Mason Smith, stealing two electric bikes from the shed of a property on Thirlmere Avenue.
December 3 2022 – Curtis Byrne is shot on Orret’s Meadow Road in the Woodchurch estate.
December 18 2022 – Kieran Cowley is shot outside a property on Newark Close, near the house of Mason Smith, with the same Glock pistol used to shoot Mr Byrne.
December 23 2023 – Sam Searson, linked to the Woodchurch estate, is attacked in the street in Highfield Road, Rock Ferry, by Jake Duffy and Kieran Salkeld.
6pm – Chapman leaves his home on Houghton Road, Woodchurch, in a stolen Mercedes and travels with Thomas Waring to the Robin Hood caravan park in Rhyl, North Wales.
After spending about half an hour in the caravan park, Chapman returns and parks the Mercedes in the car park at the rear of his home, where it remains for almost 24 hours.
December 24 2022 – The day of the shooting
8.44pm – The stolen Mercedes is driven away from the car park behind Chapman’s home on Houghton Road.
8.57pm – The car is parked up on Green Lane – facing the Lighthouse pub.
9.20pm – The Mercedes is parked in the Lighthouse car park, at the back of the pub.
9.39pm – The car is parked up on the road in front of the pub.
10.17pm – After moving the car a short distance up the road, the driver gets out and walks towards the United Reform Church, which has a car park next to the Lighthouse car park.
10.30pm – The driver walks back towards the car and then past the Lighthouse pub, appearing to crouch down and look towards the pub from the road to the side.
10.54pm – The driver walks back to the Mercedes and drives it to the pub car park, parking in an empty bay facing the entrance. It remains there for about 50 minutes.
11.47pm – Elle Edwards walks out to the front of the Lighthouse. Kieran Salkeld also walks outside.
11.49pm – The driver of the Mercedes gets out of the car and ducks between vehicles as he moves, before running across the car park to the side wall of the pub.
11.51pm – The gunman walks along the line of the building.
11.52pm – The gunman fires 12 shots from the Skorpion sub-machine gun, killing Elle Edwards and injuring Kieran Salkeld, Jake Duffy, Harry Loughran, Liam Carr and Nicholas Speed. He runs back to the Mercedes and drives away from the pub.
December 25 2022 – The hours after the shooting
12.03am – The Mercedes arrives in Private Drive, Barnston, where Thomas Waring lives. The driver parks nearby and walks towards Waring’s house, at one point ruffling his long hair and appearing to drop what was alleged to be the gun used in the shooting.
12.40am – Following phone calls with his father, Waring, who has been at a friends, takes a taxi home to Private Drive, where he arrives just before 1am.
3.47am – The gunman leaves the house and adjusts the position of the car, moving it towards Waring’s house.
5.21am – A taxi ordered from Private Drive arrives back close to Chapman’s home and a man is seen walking to the back of the house and then to the front.
December 31 2022 – Chapman drives to Frodsham, Cheshire, where the stolen Mercedes used in the murder is burnt out and discovered the following day.
January 1 2023 – Police go to the house of Chapman’s grandparents. An officer speaks to him over the phone and asks him to hand himself in. Chapman does not use that phone again.
January 9 2023 – Chapman travels to Wales in a hire car and stays in Penllwyn Lodges.
January 10 2023 – Chapman is arrested at a Tesco store in Newtown, Wales.
He added: ‘This is a decision very much about the human consequences – we’re not making spaces for extra cars in a car park, this is about people’s lives, victims of crime.
‘To be sort of disregarded, how you feel going through that as a victim or family member of a victim, it’s very impersonal.
‘It needs to be looked at on a case by case [basis].’
He told Sky News the prime minister had written to him and said he’d asked the justice secretary to follow up with the family.
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