Family of Olivia-Pratt Korbel say they hope Thomas Cashman is 'haunted for the rest of his life'

The family of a nine-year-old girl who was shot to death in Liverpool say they hope her killer is "haunted for the rest of his life".

Thomas Cashman, 34, was found guilty on 30 March of murdering the nine-year-old as he chased convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee into her home in Dovecot, Liverpool.

Cashman fired through the front door of Olivia's family home hitting her mother Cheryl Korbel, 46, before fatally wounding the schoolgirl on 22 August 2022.

A jury at Manchester Crown Court unanimously found him guilty of murder and wounding with intent of her mother.

They also found him guilty of the attempted murder of Nee and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Despite refusing to appear in court to hear his sentence, Cashman was handed a minimum of 42 years in jail.

Following the sentencing, Louise Pratt spoke on behalf of her brother and Olivia's father, John, outside court.

She said despite being happy with the outcome, the family would not be celebrating.

"Following the conviction of Cashman and his sentencing today", she said, "We’d like to say we are happy with the outcome but we will not be celebrating as nothing will fill the gap left in our lives following the loss of Olivia."

Olivia was one of three fatally shot in Liverpool within a week. Ms Pratt spoke of those and other victims in the six months.

"Our thoughts are also with the families of Sam Rimmer, Ashley Dale, Jacqueline Rutter and Elle Edwards," she continued.

"We hope you get the justice your loved ones deserve.

"Our greatest hope is for this conviction to lead to more guns, especially those used in the murder of Olivia, to be handed in to the police so that no other family must go through this tragedy.

"Lastly, I would like to say Olivia Pratt-Korbel died a scared nine year old and we hope Cashman is haunted by this knowledge for the rest of his life."

Olivia's mother, Cheryl Korbel, also made a statement outside the court where she stood surrounded by family members wearing hoodies with Olivia's picture.

Ms Korbel spoke of her daughter, she said: "Liv was the light of our lives, our beautiful, sassy, chatty girl who never ran out of energy, she was a character, she was my baby, she had amazing qualities and knew what she wanted in life.

"Everyone adored her, she was the baby of our family and my little love, my shadow.

"Now everything we do and everywhere we go is a constant reminder that she is not there with us."

Olivia's mother also said though they welcome the sentence, their family have already started theirs.

Ms Korbel added: "We welcome the sentence given but what I can say is that my family and I have already started our life sentence, having to spend the rest of our lives without Olivia.

"We are overwhelmed by the outstanding support of the public during this horrific time and wish to say thank you.

"We now ask for time and space to try and process what has happened to us over the past few months and most importantly grieve for our Olivia who was so cruelly stolen from us," she said.

Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Mark Baker, of Merseyside Police, said the “courage and bravery of Olivia’s family” was “in direct contrast to the cowardice shown by Thomas Cashman”.

Speaking outside court, he said: “We welcome today’s sentence which reflects the severity of the crime committed by Thomas Cashman and he now has a long time behind bars to contemplate his actions.

“In fact, he won’t be out until he’s a very old man.

“We heard earlier from (Olivia’s family) of the devastating impact her death has had on all families and friends. Today’s sentence will never bring Olivia back.

“I again thank the witness who assisted in bringing justice for Olivia family. She did the correct thing and she should be proud of herself.

“The courage and bravery of Olivia’s family and our witness is in direct contrast to the cowardice shown by Thomas Cashman.

“I hope that the sentence of 42 years given to Cashman today will act as a deterrent for anyone who thinks of picking up a gun and putting our communities at risk through their reckless behaviour.”