The father of Elle Edwards, who was murdered outside a Wirral pub, has condemned the early release of a man who assisted her killer as a "massive kick in the teeth."
Release Under New Scheme
Thomas Waring, jailed for nine years in July 2023 for possessing a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender, is set to be released in October under changes to the Sentencing Act. The scheme allows some 6,000 offenders to be freed after serving a third of their sentence, rather than half, to ease prison overcrowding. Those serving four years or more become eligible at the halfway point instead of two-thirds.
Tim Edwards told the Press Association he had written to Andy Burnham last week asking him to review the criteria for early release but received no response. "Obviously the reason why was because they were never going to change it," he said. He added that he placed more blame on the Ministry of Justice, saying "they just won't change, they don't want to change, they're all about number crunching."
Victims Ignored
Mr Edwards said a victim liaison officer from the Probation Service told him on Monday there would be no change in Waring's case, although rapists and child sex offenders are exempt. "It just shows that the families, the victims, don't get a say in any of this. It just shows they don't care. It's devastating to take," he added.
Connor Chapman, who fired a Skorpion sub-machine gun into a group outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village on Christmas Eve 2022, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 48 years. The murder weapon has never been found, and Mr Edwards expressed concern: "That gun is still out there. So what's to stop him coming out and picking that gun up again, there's nothing to stop him doing that, is there?"
Evidence and Cover-Up
Chapman's DNA was found in a mixed sample on a bullet casing at the scene and on a red glove recovered from Waring's home, which matched one the gunman wore. A single particle of gunshot residue was also on the glove. Waring booked a taxi under a fake name to take Chapman home, and the pair later drove in convoy to a remote spot off Grassy Lane, Frodsham, where the stolen Mercedes was torched. Waring refused to give evidence during the trial, a decision the prosecution called "the ultimate in cowardice."
In a tribute released through Merseyside Police, Elle's family described her as "the most beautiful and bright star out there," adding, "Christmas and our family will never be the same again without her. She was the glue that held this big family together."
