Olivia Pratt-Korbel: Another innocent child taken by gun crime
Nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was tragically killed on Monday 22 August 2022. She was fatally shot by Thomas Cashman at her home in Dovecot. Exactly 15 years since the murder of Rhys Jones, another innocent child's life, cut short by gun crime on the streets of Merseyside.
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00:00 Everyone that she met, they all fell in love with her.
00:06 She left a mark on everyone that she met.
00:11 And she may well have only been nine, but she packed a lot in them nine years.
00:18 Exactly 15 years after 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot dead on his way home from football practice,
00:23 another innocent child's life was lost to gun crime on the streets of Liverpool.
00:28 On Monday 22nd August 2022, nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Corbell was fatally shot at her home in Dovecote.
00:35 She was killed after the intended victim of the shooting, Joseph Nee, a man with no connection to her,
00:43 ran into her home on Kingsheath Avenue just after 10pm.
00:46 Thomas Cashman held his gun through the front door and fired a shot which fatally wounded Olivia and injured her mother Cheryl.
00:55 After firing two further shots, Cashman fled the scene.
01:00 I know that the murder of Olivia has rocked our communities,
01:06 who are quite rightly upset and outraged that such an abhorrent crime has occurred here on the streets of Merseyside.
01:16 The people of Liverpool and Merseyside are known for their compassion and pulling together in times of crisis.
01:25 And I know that our communities, people are wanting to help the family in any way possible.
01:32 The family of nine-year-old Olivia paid the following tribute to her.
01:37 Liv was a unique, chatty, nosy little girl who broke the mould when she was born.
01:42 She loved life and all it had to offer.
01:45 Liv loved dressing up and was very particular on how she was dressed.
01:49 Like any other little girl, she loved doing her make-up and nails.
01:53 She was nine going on nineteen.
01:56 We as a family are heartbroken and have lost a huge part of our life.
02:01 The tragic murder of Olivia sent shockwaves not just through Merseyside, but across the country and beyond.
02:09 Merseyside police found no stone would go unturned in the pursuit of bringing her killer to justice.
02:16 Our thoughts and condolences are with Olivia's family, who have been torn apart.
02:24 No mum, no dad, no sister or brother should ever have to experience loss in this way.
02:34 The 2007 murder of Rhys Jones should have been the line in the sand for gun crime in our city.
02:40 Another child's life was so callously cut short in a senseless act of violence.
02:47 I hate you, Liv, because you never, never stop talking.
02:55 And that's what I miss the most.
02:59 Because I can't hear the talk.
03:07 You know you've done wrong, so you need to own up.
03:12 Like I've taught my kids.
03:16 You do something wrong, you own up to it.
03:20 Thomas Cashman took two loaded guns onto the streets of Liverpool to shoot a man,
03:26 but instead fatally shot nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Corbell in her home.
03:31 34-year-old Cashman from West Derby set out to kill Joseph Nee on the 22nd of August 2022.
03:38 Armed with two guns, he lay in wait for his target, who he chased down Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecote.
03:44 CCTV evidence presented at the trial recorded three loud bangs
03:48 and showed how Joseph Nee, struck in the midriff, fell to the ground.
03:53 He was able to get away from his attacker due to one of the guns malfunctioning.
03:58 He then ran to a nearby unconnected house for safety.
04:01 This was the home of Cheryl Corbell and her family.
04:05 Cashman did not give up and pursued Nee to this address.
04:08 He fired again as Miss Corbell tried to block his entry to the house.
04:12 The bullet hit Miss Corbell in the hand, then hit and killed her daughter, Olivia, who was standing behind her.
04:20 As Olivia lay there dying, Nee left the property and was collected by his friends who took him to hospital.
04:25 Olivia was rushed to nearby Alder Hey Children's Hospital by two police officers who arrived on the scene a short time later,
04:32 but sadly, despite best efforts, she had been fatally wounded.
04:37 After the shooting, Cashman fled to the house of a woman he'd been in a relationship with and changed his clothes.
04:43 This woman would subsequently become a key witness for the prosecution.
04:47 Poor Olivia was murdered brutally in her own home on the 22nd of August.
04:54 Our officers continue to carry out extensive inquiries and I can confirm that there are a number of very positive lines of inquiry that we are pursuing.
05:05 Whilst Merseyside Police continue to appeal for information from the public,
05:09 independent charity Crimestoppers supported the investigation by offering a record high reward of £200,000
05:18 for anonymous information that led to the conviction of the person responsible for Olivia's murder.
05:25 I asked for the man responsible for this brutal, callous, thoughtless attack to surrender himself to the police.
05:37 Unfortunately, that individual has failed to do that.
05:42 But my message to him remains the same.
05:46 We will not rest until we find you. And we will find you.
05:50 Thomas Cashman was arrested on the 29th of September 2022 and was charged with Olivia's murder.
05:56 He was also charged with the attempted murder of Joseph Nee,
06:00 wounding of Cheryl Corbell with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and, two counts,
06:06 a possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
06:13 On Monday 3rd of April 2023, Thomas Cashman was jailed for life for the murder of a nine-year-old Olivia Pratt Corbell.
06:20 Following an 18-day trial at Manchester Crown Court, Cashman, 34, was found guilty of murder,
06:25 attempted murder, the wounding of Olivia's mum Cheryl and two firearms offences.
06:31 He was jailed for life to serve a minimum of 42 years.
06:35 He was also jailed for 22 years for attempted murder, 10 years for wounding and 18 years each for the two firearms offences.
06:43 The sentences will run concurrently.
06:46 During her sentencing, Justice Yip said the killing of Olivia shocked not only the city of Liverpool but also the nation.
06:54 Her family have spoken today of Olivia's life and the hopes and dreams of her future, which were so cruelly snatched away.
07:02 Olivia's name is likely to be remembered for many years, but her name should not only be remembered for her terrible last moments.
07:10 It's plain Olivia was a lovely little girl who brightened the lives of her family and friends.
07:16 They have suffered an unimaginable loss they must carry for the rest of their lives.
07:22 One year on from Olivia's murder, her mum Cheryl has spoken about how difficult it has been.
07:28 I'm not going to lie, I'm not going to say it's been easy, because it hasn't.
07:35 It's been hard, but we've had family and friends that have got me through it, the support to get us through it.
07:50 I've just blinked and the last 12 months have just flew by.
07:56 I am numb.
08:03 Merseyside's Police and Crime Commissioner has heaped praise not only on the force for their hard work in bringing Cashman to justice, but also the courage of Olivia's family.
08:15 It was horrible, it was absolutely awful. Any incident where someone loses their life is just absolutely tragic.
08:22 But for it to happen to such a young girl in such a horrible way, a young girl who had a whole life ahead of her, it was just utterly heartbreaking.
08:30 As we mark the one year, I'm very much thinking of Cheryl and the family going through an anniversary that nobody should have to be experiencing.
08:39 I know that it's going to be a very difficult day for them.
08:42 Her personality will live on through Cheryl, Ryan, Chloe, the rest of the family that loved her and adored her.
08:50 That cheeky little smile, you just need to look at that little face, because that's what people are going to remember.
08:57 And that's what we want people to remember.
09:00 She was a beautiful little lady.
09:03 Sassy little princess. Cheeky. Loved life. She loved dancing.
09:13 Thomas Cashman was jailed for 42 years for the murder of nine-year-old Olivia at her home in Dovecote.
09:22 However, instead of facing up to the pain he'd inflicted on her family, Cashman hid away in his cell, refusing to attend his hearing at Manchester Crown Court.
09:32 That behaviour has prompted an increase in calls to make the appearance of convicted criminals mandatory at all future sentencing hearings.
09:41 Writing the impact statement was really hard.
09:48 It didn't take minutes. It was days over a matter of weeks.
09:55 And it's important for the offenders to listen to the pain that they've caused.
10:04 The pain that is ongoing.
10:07 Going to prison is supposed to be a rehabilitation.
10:12 That first port of call of rehabilitation should be in that courtroom.
10:19 And standing there listening to the judge and listening to the family's impact statement.
10:26 The launch of a campaign and government petition by local station Radio City received backing from across the Labour Party,
10:34 including Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reid and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, as well as from local MPs right across the region.
10:43 When you go through a hugely dramatic deal like Cheryl and so many other victims' families have,
10:49 to then have to sit day after day to watch the trial of this person that killed your loved one take place,
10:56 and then for them to not turn up the one day when you have the time to tell that person the impact that that has had.
11:04 And that is an important part of that process where the victims and the families get to talk about the impact it's had on them,
11:11 and what this means for them and the life sentence they're going to have because their daughter's no longer with them.
11:16 The fact that somebody can take that power away from that family and not turn up and hear that is just wrong.
11:22 Though facing the families in court won't bring back the victims of these senseless crimes,
11:27 not being present when victim impact statements are read out denies those affected a measure of closure.
11:34 I think the whole point of the Face the Family campaign, and when I speak to Cheryl and others about it,
11:39 it's about saying you've taken something away from me, you should listen and hear about what impact that's had on me.
11:47 And the justice system is such a long and complicated system, we don't make it straightforward at all.
11:53 And this is one small part of it that would just give the families that opportunity to feel like they've been heard,
11:59 and to feel like their pain and their suffering has been recognised.
12:02 It's also important to remember those whose lives have been cruelly cut short by murder, not for how they died, but for how they lived.
12:10 Like Olivia, who by all accounts was a chatty, lively little girl who just loved the colour pink.
12:18 (laughing)