Paul Owen is one of four defendants accused of assisting an offender in connection with the fatal shooting on Christmas Eve 2022
A man accused of lending Connor Chapman his car is alleged to have messaged him saying “be careful bacon everywhere”, a court has heard. Ms Edwards, a 26-year-old beautician, died after Connor Chapman opened fire with a Skorpion sub-machine gun outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey on Christmas Eve 2022.
Chapman was convicted 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 gone on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of assisting an offender in connection with the fatal shooting.
Katy Appleton said yesterday, Tuesday, October 8 that the prosecution’s case was the four defendants – Roxanne Matthews, 34, Danielle Dowdall, 34, David Chambers, 43, and Paul Owen, 50 – “assisted Connor Chapman in evading arrest, intending to impede his apprehension or prosecution”, a court has heard.
READ MORE: Elle Edwards latest: Four men and women stand trial accused of assisting offenderREAD MORE: Woman accused of assisting Connor Chapman after Elle Edwards murder texted mum ‘I’m minding his f***ing clothes’, court hears
During the prosecution’s opening, Ms Appleton said Owen, of Woodchurch, is alleged to have given his car to Chapman to use on New Year’s Eve when he and Thomas Waring – who was previously convicted of assisting an offender – burnt out the black Mercedes A Class used in the murder. Ms Appleton said: “Paul Owen contacted Connor Chapman at 7.18pm and they must have arranged to meet, because at 7.26pm they did meet at the Horse and Jockey public house on Arrowe Park Road.
“Paul Owen gave Connor Chapman his Mercedes GLC, at that stage on its true number plates. CCTV then follows the Mercedes driving en route to 2 Private Drive, you can see the true plate EX68 EYJ on an ANPR hit. There is further contact between Connor Chapman and Paul Owen, with Paul Owen asking him if he was okay.
“A map shows the Chapman phone two, the Waring phone two, the stolen Mercedes used in the murder and Paul Owen’s Mercedes GLC travelling together to Frodsham. The CCTV that follows shows that by this stage Paul Owen’s car had itself been put on false number plates using the registration BU71 AGX and the stolen Mercedes used in the murder was on yet another set of false number plates, now showing the plate NU16 PSO.
“If we pause we see that Paul Owen and Connor Chapman were in touch during the journey. He says ‘be careful, bacon everywhere’. The prosecution says Paul Owen was warning about police presence.” The court heard Chapman then texted Owen “yo” at 2.17am before Owen responded “Hi mate not to late with car as need to go shoppin”.
Ms Appleton said: “At 1.17pm Paul Owen attempts to call Connor Chapman, still clearly looking for his car. Connor Chapman returns the call at 1.17pm when there is one minute and 57 second telephone call from Connor Chapman to Paul Owen. We then see Paul Owen coming to pick up his car. We see him in the grey Mercedes driving away from Connor Chapman’s address.”
Ms Appleton added after Owen was arrested he was interviewed on January 20 last year. She said: “In interview, he stated that Connor Chapman was his drug dealer but claimed that he only knew him as Curly, stating that he hadn’t known that Curly was Connor Chapman. He told the police that he hadn’t seen Connor Chapman for three weeks prior to New Year’s Eve.
“He said that Curly/Connor Chapman took his car from the Horse and Jockey pub because he asked him to drive it home for him and put the keys through the letter box, which Paul Owen said Connor Chapman had done before.” He also said he would be unable to recognise Chapman as “he always wore a face/head covering”, the court heard.
The court heard Matthews was alleged to have harboured Chapman at her home in Noctorum, which had a converted loft room jurors were shown a photo of. On January 2 2023, the day after police had spoken to Chapman and urged him to hand himself in, phone records show he messaged Matthews to ask where tissue and wipes were, the court heard.
Ms Appleton said: “The prosecution says that Roxanne Matthews is harbouring Connor Chapman at her home address, Ormond Mews, which explains the context of the messages.” Records also showed Matthews, who the court heard used to be babysat by Chapman’s mum, carried out searches on the Liverpool ECHO and BBC for news on Ms Edwards’ murder.
The court heard on January 7 Matthews messaged Chapman to ask if he was okay and he replied: “Yeah just got up haha. Heavy this haha.” She replied saying “feel awful for you” and told him she would not be long, the court heard.
The court heard Matthews is alleged to have harboured Chapman at her home until January 9, when she booked a stay at the Penllwyn Lodges in Wales, after Chapman, who transferred £900 to her account, decided against a ferry journey overseas. Ms Matthews is also alleged to have hired Chapman a car – a blue Volkswagen T-cross, and was driven to collect it by Chambers, Chapman’s uncle, the jury heard.
During her police interview, Matthews admitted that she knew Chapman was a gang member but thought he was “nice”, Ms Appleton said. The court heard Chapman had also asked her to book the lodge because he didn’t have a card, while the car, which she was driven by Chambers to Speke to collect, had been ordered for her own use.
The court heard Chambers, of no fixed address, took a “Santa sack” containing the clothes Chapman had worn at the time of the shooting to Dowdall, who allegedly kept hold of it until January 13 when she took it to the home of Chambers’ then partner. The court also heard telephone contact showed Chambers was in contact with Chapman and Thomas Waring on December 23, and went to the Arndale Centre with Chapman and his brothers on Christmas Eve. Ms Appleton said he answered no comment during his interview.
On the morning after Chapman was charged with murder, on January 12, the court heard that Dowdall’s mother sent her a screenshot of the police press release, to which Dowdall replied: “I know I’m minding his f****** clothes.”
Ms Appleton claims later that day Dowdall and her mother decided to steal jewellery, bought by Chapman in Pandora before he carried out the shooting on Christmas Eve, which was inside the bag. She said: “They obviously thought that they would get away with it but David Chambers discovered what they had done. Yet, Danielle Dowdall denied it, messaging David Chambers in February, saying ‘mate I’m not a thief’ and ‘I don’t rob off my own’.”
The court also heard when she was interviewed she said she knew Chapman was wanted by the police but claimed she did not know what for. Ms Appleton added: “She stated it was her mother’s idea to steal the jewellery and after she had done so, panicked and just wanted to give it back.”
Dowdall, Matthews, Chambers and Owen, who are represented by Desmond Lennon, Martine Snowdon, Daniel Travers and Christopher Stables respectively, deny all charges. The trial before Mr Justice Morris, is expected to last four weeks.
