Brother of Elle Edwards' killer banned from Woodchurch estate

Lewis Chapman, 22, was made subject to the gang injunction on Tuesday 19 September 2023. The notice was served yesterday (Wednesday 20 September 2023) and will remain in place until March 2025. 

His elder brother, Connor Chapman, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 48 years earlier this year after being found unanimously guilty of murdering the popular beautician who was shot dead outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey, Wirral, on Christmas Eve last year.

26-year-old Elle was the innocent victim of a botched gangland hit on the pub during which the intended targets, Kieran Salkeld and Jake Duffy, were both seriously injured. Just a day before the attack the pair had assaulted an associate of Connor Chapman.

An ivestigation by detectives revealed Elle's shooting was the "culmination" of a long-running feud between Chapman's gang, based around the Woodchurch estate, and a rival firm based around the Ford/Beechwood estate on the opposite side of the M53 motorway

Earlier this month, Salkeld, 29, from Ford/Beechwood and Duffy, 23, also from Ford/Beechwood, were both served with similar gang injuctions.

Jake Duffy and Kieran Salkeld (left to right) (Image: Merseyside Police)

During Connor Chapman's trial it emerged that Lewis had been shot on Danger Lane in Moreton on August 10 last year.

His assailant was said to have used a Skorpion submachine gun, the same type of weapon which killed 26-year-old Elle, but that the sibling "refused to assist or cooperate with the police".

The incident was described by Nigel Power KC, prosecuting, as a  "significant precursor event" leading up to Elle's murder.

At the time the Globe reported that shots had been fired in the direction of a house on Danger Lane at around 11.15pm in the evening with Merseyside Police saying that four offenders on two motorbikes had subsequently escaped the area.

A police cordon in place at Danger Lane in Moreton after the shooting which targeted Lewis Chapman (Image: Rebecca McGrath, Newsquest)

A 29-year-old man, from Tranmere, was later arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with the attack, although he was subsequently released under investigation pending further enquiries.

The conditions of the order mean Lewis Chapman is prohibited from:

• Associating and communicating with named persons by any means
• Entering the Woodchurch, Beechwood or Ford estates unless given prior written authority from the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police or a nominated delegate of the Chief Constable
• Either directly or indirectly using or threatening to use violence against any person or property including by phone or internet 
• Either directly or indirectly engaging in any abusive or threatening conduct including by phone or internet
• Being in possession of any class A or B drug
• Being in possession of any equipment for use in the manufacture, cultivation or distribution of any class A or B drugs
• Possessing more than one mobile phone or sim card, which must be registered
• Riding or being a passenger on any electrically powered bike or scooter, any quad bike, motorbike, scrambler bike, trial bike, or any other type of two wheeled motorised bike within the county of Merseyside.

Any breaches of the prohibitions can result in him being arrested and taken to court.

Chief Inspector Duncan Swan, said: “Our officers are dedicated to disrupting the lives of those who are prepared to engage in criminality and by doing so make a positive difference to the communities where these individuals have been causing harm and distress.

"Together with our partners we are using all the powers and legislation available to us to crackdown on gang-related activity and gang injunctions form part of our continued work to make Birkenhead and the surrounding areas safer places to live, work and visit.
 
"The prohibitions detailed in this injunction are widely known by our local officers and will be policed rigorously so if Chapman breaches his prohibitions, we can act quickly to arrest him and put him back before the courts where he could receive a prison sentence.

“We have recently launched our 'Silence is Not an Option' campaign and urge anyone with information about those involved in organised crime and criminal activity to either contact us or Crimestoppers, anonymously, so we can take the most effective action against organised crime groups who bring misery to our streets.

"Together we are stronger so let's harness that strength and make a difference in Merseyside."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, Merseyside Police directly at @MerpolCC or by calling 101.