Armed police officers 'scooped up' then ran with murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in a desperate bid to save her young life, a coroner's court heard today.
The court heard Olivia was then rushed in a police car to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, where an officer carried her to the main entrance as he covered a wound she had suffered with his hand. Andre Rebello, the senior coroner for Liverpool and Wirral, today formally opened inquests into the deaths of Olivia, as well as 28-year-old Ashley Dale and 22-year-old Sam Rimmer, who were also shot dead in a horror week of crime on Merseyside.
Mr Rebello, who recalled the murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones being first reported to him 15 years ago, hit out at the 'heinous and unforgiving' murder of Olivia in her own home and issuing a public appeal for anyone with information to come forward to police, said it was 'shocking that a nine-year-old girl with her whole life ahead of her is shot anywhere'.
"It's quite shocking that society has not changed for the better," he said.
Tragically, the inquest opening was told Olivia's heart had stopped prior to her arrival at the hospital. The St Margaret Mary's primary school pupil was killed after a gunman burst into her home while chasing 35-year-old Joseph Nee, who had himself run into the house to escape after noticing Olivia's mum, Cheryl Korbel, open the front door, reports the Liverpool Echo today.
Gerard Majella Courthouse heard that police were called to reports of a shooting on Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, at around 10pm on Monday, August 22.
Mr Rebello said: "Armed response officers attended and a nine-year-old girl was discovered with a gunshot wound to the chest. Police officers scooped and ran with Olivia, and she was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital on Prescot Road by police car.
"They arrived at 10.15pm and she was brought into the main entrance by a Merseyside Police officer who was covering the wound with his hand. She was noted to have a weak heart, which had stopped prior to arrival in hospital."
The coroner's court heard that a resuscitation team, supported by specialist consultants at Alder Hey, tried desperately to revive Olivia, but she entered cardiac arrest and medical staff made the gut-wrenching decision to stop CPR at 11.25pm.
Mr Rebello said a forensic Home Office pathologist conducted a post-mortem exam and recorded Olivia's medical cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest. Mr Rebello also made a plea for anyone with information to come forward, and noted the tragic parallels with the death of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, who was shot dead 15 years to the day before Olivia.
He told the court: "15 years ago I was still the coroner in Liverpool and the death of Rhys Jones was reported to me. It's quite shocking that society has not changed for the better. It's shocking that a nine-year-old girl with her whole life ahead of her is shot anywhere.
"But to be shot in her own home, in the safety of her home, is heinous and unforgiving. And further, there must be people in Liverpool or elsewhere by now who know precisely by what means Olivia died and further who was responsible for her death. Parents expect to bury their own parents, but not their own children.
"And clearly, as with the other two inquests I have opened today, Olivia's death will not just affect immediate family and friends, but also school communities, church communities. Not just the Knotty Ash and Dovecot areas, the whole city, Merseyside, and I know people across this country are shocked by Olivia's death.
"I know Merseyside Police would be very grateful for information which could bring some knowledge to the investigation into how Olivia came to her death, no matter how insignificant."
Mr Rebello said there was no longer any evidential need for the coroner's office to hold Olivia and said her body could now be released to her family to be laid to rest. Two men, aged 36 and 32, have been arrested on suspicion of her murder, and were later released on bail pending further enquiries. The 36-year-old man has also been returned to prison on licence.
The inquest was adjourned until January 1 next year.
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