Suspects accused of assisting an offender in relation to a beautician who was shot dead outside a pub on Christmas Eve are facing trial.
Elle Edwards was killedoutside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey, Wirral, on December 24, 2022.
Conor Chapman was found guilty of her murder in July last year and later jailed for life with a minimum term of 48 years. Two men and two women have since been charged with assisting an offender in connection with the fatal shooting.
David Chambers, Danielle Dowdall, Paul Owen and Roxanne Rooney appeared before Liverpool Crown Court this afternoon, Thursday, at the beginning of their trial, having denied the respective counts against them. A total of 50 potential jurors were today asked to complete questionnaires in order to ensure their suitability to serve on the case, which is expected to last around four weeks, the Liverpool ECHO reports.
They were then whittled down to a pool of 18. The selection process will take place tomorrow morning, Friday, when a jury of 14 will be chosen – with two to hear the prosecution’s opening as reserves.
According to charge sheets, 43-year-old Chambers – of no fixed address – is accused of arranging the hire of a Volkswagen T-Cross to be used by Chapman. Dowdall, 34 and of Woodchurch, is meanwhile said to have disposed of the gunman’s clothing.
Owen, 55, of Woodchurch, is alleged to have assisted in the disposal of the Mercedes A-Class used during the shooting. And 34-year-old Rooney – also known as Roxanne Matthews and of Noctorum – faces two charges of assisting an offender by supposedly hiring the Volkswagen car and booking a lodge at Penllwyn Lodges, mid-Wales, to be used by Chapman.
Katy Appleton and Isabella Denn-White prosecute the case, while Chambers is represented by Daniel Travers. Desmond Lennon defends Dowdall, with Christopher Stables appearing on behalf of Owen.
Rooney is represented in court by Martine Snowdon. Mr Justice Morris will be presiding over the trial.
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