A sub-machine gun capable of firing 15 rounds a second has been shown to jurors in the trial of a man accused of shooting a woman outside a pub on Christmas Eve.

Elle Edwards, 26, was killed when a gunman fired 12 shots from a Skorpion machine pistol outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, Merseyside, on 24 December last year.-

Connor Chapman, 23, is accused of murdering Ms Edwards in the shooting, which is alleged to be the culmination of a feud between groups on the Woodchurch and Beechwood estates, on either side of the M53 in Wirral.

On Tuesday forensic firearms scientist Andre de Villiers Horne showed Liverpool Crown Court a Skorpion pistol of the type used in the shooting.

Before demonstrating how the gun would be loaded and discharged, he told jurors he had checked it before coming into court and there was no ammunition inside.

The weapon was then passed around the members of the jury.

Mr Horne said the weapon has three modes: safe, semi-automatic and fully automatic.

He told the jury on fully automatic mode it would fire a volley of shots until the trigger was released.

He said: “This particular gun has got a high firing rate of 14 to 15 rounds per second so if you pull the trigger and don’t let go very quickly, before you can sneeze you would have emptied the magazine.”

Expert believes gun was in semi-automatic mode

Mr Horne told the court he believed the gun was in semi-automatic, or single-shooting mode, when it was used on 24 December.

Footage of the shooting was played in court and Mr Horne said he identified an initial volley of seven shots fired by the gunman, before a further two shots, followed by a brief pause and then another three shots.

He said: “If the gun had been set to fully automatic fire, at a rate of 14 to 15 rounds per second, that would have been much faster than that.”

He told the jury had the gun been set to fully automatic the first seven shots would have been fired within half a second.

Read more:
‘Ongoing feud’ between rival groups led to shooting of woman on Christmas Eve

Bullet casing shows low-level DNA profiles

Forensic scientist John Cullen said analysis of a bullet casing recovered from outside the pub showed low-level DNA profiles from at least two people.

“There was very strong support that some of the DNA in that mixture had originated from Mr Chapman, rather than that none of the DNA had originated from him,” he said.

The court heard a single particle of gunshot residue was found on the back of a red glove recovered at the home of Thomas Waring, 20, where Chapman is alleged to have gone after the shooting.

Footage played earlier in the trial appeared to show the gunman wearing red gloves during the shooting.

Forensic scientist Dr Mandy Wood said the finding was of little significance because only one particle of residue was found.

Mr Cullen said there was extremely strong support for the view that DNA from both Chapman and Waring was present in the glove and it was expected they had both worn it at some time.

Chapman denies murder

Chapman denies the murder of Ms Edwards, two counts of attempted murder and three counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He also denies possession of a Skorpion sub-machine gun with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Waring, 20, of Private Drive, Barnston, Wirral, denies possessing a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender by helping Chapman dispose of the car.

The trial is set to continue on Wednesday.