Innocent reveller Elle Edwards, 26, was killed and five others injured outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Merseyside, on December 24th 2022 in the culmination of a feud between rival gangs.

Last year Connor Chapman, 23, was jailed for life after being convicted of Elle’s murder – now at Liverpool Crown Court four people are on trial accused of assisting him in the weeks after the tragedy.

On Tuesday as she opened the case to a jury, prosecutor Katy Appleton explained how Roxanne Matthews, 34; David Chambers, 43; Danielle Dowdall, 34, and Paul Owen, 55, all assisted Chapman.

During her opening, the jury was shown footage of the moment Ms Edwards was struck as she stood outside the pub shortly before midnight.

The court heard Matthews harboured Chapman at her home in Noctorum, Wirral, which boasts a converted loft room.

On January 2nd 2023, the day after police had urged main suspect Chapman to hand himself in, phone records show he messaged Matthews to ask where tissues were, the court heard.

Ms Appleton said: “The prosecution say that Roxanne Matthews is harbouring Connor Chapman at her home address which explains the context of the messages.”

Records also showed Matthews carried out internet searches for news on Ms Edwards’ murder, Ms Appleton said.

The court heard on January 7th Matthews messaged Chapman to ask if he was OK and he replied: “Yeah just got up ha ha. Heavy this ha ha.”

She replied saying “feel awful for you” and told him she would not be long, the court was told.

It is alleged she harboured Chapman at her home until January 9th, when she booked a stay at the Penllwyn Lodges in Wales – hired a car for him, a blue VW T-cross, and was driven to collect it by his uncle, Chambers.

Ms Appleton also claimed Chambers took a bag containing the clothes Chapman had worn during the shooting to co-accused Dowdall, who allegedly held them until January 13th when she took it to the home of Chambers’ then partner.

On the morning after Chapman was charged with murder, January 12th, the court heard Dowdall’s mother sent her a screenshot of the police press release, to which Dowdall replied: “I know I’m minding his f****** clothes.”

The court heard how 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 heard Owen was alleged to have given his car to Chapman to use on New Year’s Eve when he and Thomas Waring burnt out the black Mercedes A Class used in the murder.

The court heard he handed over the car at the Horse and Jockey pub in Upton, and later messaged Chapman saying: “Be careful bacon everywhere.”

Explaining the phrase, Ms Appleton added: “The Crown suggest he was warning Chapman of the police presence.”

Dowdall, of Woodchurch, Wirral, denies one count of assisting an offender, Matthews denies three counts of the offence, Chambers, of no fixed abode, denies two counts and Owen, also of Woodchurch, denies one count.

The trial – which is expected to last four weeks – continues.