Thomas Cashman will not have prison sentence increased for murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel

The killer of Olivia Pratt-Korbel will not have his 42-year prison sentence increased, the Solicitor General has said.

A number of requests were made for Thomas Cashman's sentence to be increased after he shot the nine-year-old dead in her home in Dovecot, Liverpool on 22 August 2022.

The 34-year-old opened fire as he attempted to shoot his intended target Joseph Nee at around 10pm.

Cashman hit Olivia’s mother Cheryl Korbel in the wrist as she tried to keep the door shut on Nee, with the same bullet killing her daughter.

Michael Tomlinson KC, Solicitor General said: “Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s senseless murder at the hands of Thomas Cashman shocked and sickened the nation.

“Because of the strong feelings this case evokes, it was little surprise that I received several requests under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, to consider the sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 42 years that was handed down to him.

“My duty as a Law Officer in considering whether sentences may be unduly lenient is to act independently of government, even when it is not easy or popular.

“Having received detailed legal advice and considered the issues raised very carefully, I have concluded Cashman’s case cannot properly be referred to the Court of Appeal."

The barrister said that this type of referral can only be made if a "rigorous legal test is met, irrespective of the seriousness of the crime or the emotions the offending may evoke".

He continued: "The threshold for referral is a high one, and that was not met in this case.

“The test is only met if the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range reasonably available in the circumstances of the offending.

“My thoughts remain with Olivia’s family and friends who have shown such immeasurable strength during this devastating time.”

Father-of-two Cashman, who was a high-level drug dealer in Liverpool, has launched his own appeal against his sentence, with lawyers arguing the penalty is too harsh.

The killer refused to attend court to hear the sentencing remarks and was jailed in his absence on 3 April 2023