An early release for Elle Edwards’ killer’s accomplice?
‘It's not acceptable, I don't accept it and it and I'm not going to allow it’
Dear readers — welcome to your Monday briefing. While the temperature has certainly dropped since the last time one of these landed in your inbox, we hope we can warm your cockles with our wonderful recommendations and reads this week…
ICYMI: Over the weekend, Laurence chatted to the folks over at Quarry, a music venue on Love Lane being threatened with closure after Network Rail revealed they wanted to build luxury flats on the site. “It’s hard to shake the feeling of hopelessness that many in grassroots music circles are feeling right now,” one of Quarry’s founders told him. “But whatever happens, we're not going anywhere.”
In today’s edition, we have the first of many Christmas recommendations (the pine tree is being duly erected in Post HQ as we speak), as well as our big story: the Prime Minister responds to the news that the accomplice of Elle Edwards’s killer may be released from prison in the next 18 months.
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We’re looking to speak to people with experience of the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient for a story. If that’s you, or a family member or close friend, please get in touch with Laurence on laurence@livpost.co.uk or DM him on X.
The big story: PM grilled as accomplice of Elle Edwards’s killer to be released early
Top line: In July last year, Thomas Waring was sentenced to nine years after assisting the killer of Elle Edwards. But now he’ll be getting out under the government’s early release scheme. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer was quizzed on the matter by Radio Merseyside reporters this week.
Context: Every Christmas Eve, revellers gather at the Lighthouse Inn in Wallasey Village to ring in the festive season. But on that day two years ago, Connor Chapman opened fire on the pub with a military-grade submachine gun. Attempting to kill two men from a rival gang, Chapman injured them and three innocent bystanders. A fourth, Elle Edwards, was sitting on a raised flower bed outside the pub when Chapman opened fire. Two stray bullets struck her in the head, killing her.
The violence of the attack, and the death of the 26-year-old beautician, shocked the local community and the country. Chapman, 23 at the time of the subsequent trial, was imprisoned for life with a 48-year minimum term. Co-defendant Thomas Waring, then 20, was found guilty of the possession of the firearm, and assisting Chapman by helping to burn out the stolen car used during the attack. He received a nine-year sentence.
“I was ready to flatten the whole of the Wirral,” Tim, Elle’s father, told Cocaine Inc., a podcast series on drug crime earlier this year. Instead, to raise money for other families going through the same ordeal, he set up various fundraising appeals and even took part in one of the toughest footraces in the world, a 156-mile trek spanning the southern Moroccan Sahara.
But since then, Mr Edwards has received a letter from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) explaining that Waring would be released early due to "significant issues with the prison population". As a result, Waring could be back on the streets within 18 months.
This is thanks to the Labour government’s early release scheme, under which offenders can leave prison after serving 40% of their sentence, rather than 50% under previous guidelines. The scheme — actually begun under the last Conservative administration — is designed to tackle the prison capacity crisis, which has left prisons “on the point of collapse” according to the lord chancellor Shabana Mahmood in July.
In response to the letter, Mr Edwards said he understood overcrowding meant the release of some prisoners was inevitable, but that the seriousness of Waring’s crime should have made him ineligible.
BBC Radio Merseyside put the matter of Waring’s case to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
"I don't want to release any of these people,” Starmer said. "But we have been forced to do so because our prisons are absolutely full.”
Starmer went on to blame the last Conservative government for sending people to prison while not building enough prison places, and also cited the Southport riots over the summer which led to more than 1,000 arrests: “We nearly reached a point where we couldn't arrest people,” the prime minister said.
The previous government promised to deliver 20,000 new prison places by the mid 2020s as part of a £4 billion investment, but Sky News reported that only 6,000 had been created by July this year. Labour suggested they will continue with the Conservative’s planned prison expansion, with £2.3 billion allocated in last month’s Budget.
Mr Edwards said that the prime minister had responded to a letter he sent him personally about Waring’s case, but that he had referred him back to Mahmood. Mr Edwards said he would now write to the lord chancellor and hopefully arrange a meeting to discuss the matter. "It's not acceptable, I don't accept it and it and I'm not going to allow it," Edwards told the BBC.
Waring is not the only serious offender looking at early release. In September, an investigation by Channel 4 found a convicted sex offender would be freed within weeks instead of next year as originally planned. In response, the MoJ was forced to admit that prisoners who have completed a sentence for a serious crime and are now serving a consecutive sentence for a lesser one would be eligible under the scheme.
But Waring does not fall into this category, either. “He assisted in a murder,” Mr Edwards told the BBC, but his release would mean “the co-accused of Elle's killer is basically in the same bracket as a shoplifter”.
In September, statistics from the MoJ show the overall prison population dropped by 2,188 in a single week, a fall of around 2.5% — the largest drop week over week since 2012. That was nearly double the second-largest weekly fall, which came in April 2020 when some prisoners were released two months earlier than their original date to minimise Covid-19 contamination risks.
Bottom line: The government, the prime minister, the MoJ, and the lord chancellor all say they have no choice but to proceed with the early release scheme. Sir Keir Starmer told Radio Merseyside that a "bad inheritance" from the Conservative government had forced his hand and left him "very frustrated".
But these generalities risk leaving individual cases unremarked upon, and the victims and families disrespected by omission. Elle Edwards’s killing at Christmas time in 2022 sent shockwaves through Merseyside – Post reporter Laurence recalls a friend who was present at the attack, who, while not physically injured. spent months signed off work due to the resulting psychological effect. Many who did not even witness the crime remain horrified that this could happen in their community. This latest development, and the prime minister’s response to it, is unlikely to allay this trauma in the run-up to the festive season.
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The leader of Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in Liverpool has been given an award after embracing protestors outside his mosque during the riots in Southport. Despite witnessing much violence in the aftermath of the Southport attack in July, Adam Kelwick crossed over the protest line to speak to protestors, with photographs and videos of his “beautiful interactions” with them going viral at the time. Now, he has been given the most impactful imam accolade at the British Beacon Mosque Awards. On receiving the award, Kelwick said he was only “being nice to people who were being nasty”, adding he was able to “break bread” and have “meaningful conversations”.
Anneliese Midgley, the Labour MP for Knowsley, has called Merseyrail’s lack of digital ticketing system an “embarrassment” to Merseyside. Currently, passengers who buy train tickets online — on platforms such as Trainline — are required to find a ticket machine at a station and physically print off their ticket before travelling. Without a physical copy, a byelaw means customers are fined regardless of if they can provide proof of purchase. In Parliament last week, MP Midgley raised the problem with transport secretary Louise Haigh, saying Merseyrail needed to bring its ticketing system "into the 21st century." "It can be a real headache, a stress and an unnecessary expense some of the time as well," she told the BBC.
A boxing club on the Wirral is campaigning to get bleed kits into public spaces to help victims of knife attacks. Wirral CP Boxing Club in Ellesmere Port has already distributed dozens of bleed kits to the local area, and is raising money to fund more life-saving equipment. "The average time for an ambulance to get to Ellesmere Port is about 8 minutes," Danni Adams, a youth worker at the club, told ITV. "Someone can bleed out in 4 [minutes] so first aid is vital to try and keep that person alive for as long as possible in order for the ambulance to get there to help.” Watch the full interview with the club here — or read Abi’s piece about knife crime in the region here.
And some good news for Lana del Rey fans: the singer-songwriter is heading to Anfield next June as part of her 2025 UK and Ireland tour. She’ll be hitting spots like Dublin and Cardiff, but not, interestingly, Manchester. Lana will be joining Bruce Springsteen on the stadium’s calendar next year, following the enormous success of Taylor Swift’s recent Eras Tour stop here in the city. Tickets go on sale at 10am Friday November 29, and will be available to purchase here.
Post Picks
🎻On Saturday, enjoy an immersive tribute to Hans Zimmer at St George’s Hall, with a live chamber orchestra illuminated by light. Doors open at 6pm, with music from some of Zimmer’s most famous films — including ET, Jurassic Park and Jaws.
😂Or if comedy is more your thing, head over to Bierkeller for a stand-up comedy night in aid of Rescue Me Animal Sanctuary. All proceeds will go towards helping animals in need, with doors opening at 5pm.
🎸On Sunday, pop legends The Bluetones take to Jacaranda Baltic for an intimate acoustic performance of some of their greatest hits. We can’t wait to hear a stripped back version of Slight Return. Grab tickets here.
🎄Of course, ‘tis the season for Christmas recommendations. This wreath-making workshop at Malmaison is perfect for getting your festive decorations in order in time for December. Find out more here.
Home of the week 🏠
This four bedroom house in Greasby is on the market for £650,000. Why not take a tour here? We’re huge fans of the exposed brick fireplace in the living room, not to mention the jacuzzi tub in the family bathroom…
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This article from National Museums Liverpool features some wonderful photographs from the Stewart Bale collection showing elaborate Christmas decorations from Liverpool's shops.
In this interview with GQ, Liverpool footballer Cody Gakpo talks about his faith, fatherhood, and what he plans to do once his sporting career comes to a close.
Elle's dad is right. He cannot be treated the same as shoplifters or other non violent crimes. He is a dangerous man, he needs to serve his full sentence for his part in this dreadful killing. Otherwise where is the justice? Where is the deterrent to others involved in serious crimes? Starmer needs a wake up call and to stop blaming the Conservatives. He is PM now; he needs to step up and step in to stop this early release
Most people will agree that, generally, laws and regulations must be implemented consistently. But in this case context is everything, and malignancy must weigh heavily in the final judgment.
The co-killer’s 8-year sentence was itself an incomprehensible travesty, but to then have it reduced to eight months is nightmarish beyond description; like something from the pen of Kafka or Orwell.
This can only add to the anguish already endured by Elle’s family, who have my heartfelt sympathy.