The killer of a nine-year-old schoolgirl was jailed for life this week after being found guilty of her murder.
Thomas Cashman, 34, shot Olivia Pratt-Korbel as he chased a convicted drug dealer into her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, in August last year. He also injured her mother, Cheryl, in the incident. He was this week jailed for life, to serve a minimum term of 42 years in prison, at Manchester Crown Court.
Also jailed in Greater Manchester this week was a jealous thug who handcuffed his heavily pregnant girlfriend to a radiator for four hours and a man who squirted ammonia into a woman’s eyes before stealing her car.
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Jail terms are handed out to the worst offenders each week at the region's courts. Manchester Evening News reporters are on the press bench to cover the most serious cases.
Thomas Cashman jailed for life for murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel as killer refuses to enter court
Thomas Cashman will spend decades behind bars for the murder of Liverpool schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel after he was handed a life sentence at Manchester Crown Court.
The 34-year-old shot nine-year-old Olivia dead as he chased convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee into her home on August 22 last year. Olivia's mother, 46-year-old Cheryl Korbel, was also injured in the incident, which took place in the Dovecot area of Liverpool.
After a 19-day trial, Cashman was found guilty of murder and wounding with intent. The jury also found him guilty of the attempted murder of Nee and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Mrs Justice Yip said Cashman's attack of Nee was an 'attempted, planned execution attempt'. She sentenced Cashman to a life sentence with a minimum of 42 years.
The judge said: "For the murder of Olivia there is only one sentence that can be passed. That is of mandatory life imprisonment." She said a life order is not merited because the planning and premeditation was not directed at the child but Joseph Nee.
However, she warned Cashman that he may "spend the rest of his days in prison", telling the court that his release would be a matter for the parole board.
The murderer was sentenced in his absence after he refused to appear in the dock. John Cooper KC, representing Cashman, said the defendant did not attend the hearing as he was aware that the CPS were singing 'We are the Champions' following the verdict in his trial last week.
Mr Cooper told the court: “He has been spoken to and been given certain advice but he is concerned that the matter is turning into a circus.” Mrs Justice Yip said she regarded his lack of attendance as “disrespectful” to not only the court but those interested in proceedings, including the family of the deceased.
The court previously heard that Cashman was a “high-level” cannabis dealer who operated in the area. He had been “scoping out” Nee, the intended target, on the day of the shooting and lay in wait for him, armed with two guns, as he watched a football match at the house of a friend.
Footage played to the jury showed the gunman, wearing tracksuit bottoms which matched a pair worn by Cashman, chasing Nee up Kingsheath Avenue and firing three shots. The jury was told Nee ran towards the open door of Olivia’s family home, after Ms Korbel came out to see what the noise was, and the fatal shot was fired through the front door. It hit Ms Korbel in the wrist as she tried to shut the door and struck Olivia in the chest.
Jealous ex handcuffed his pregnant girlfriend to a radiator for FOUR hours - and only let her go when she faked going into labour
A jealous ex handcuffed his heavily pregnant partner to a radiator for four hours and only let her go when she faked going into labour.
Jake Corry slashed his victim with a sword and hit her over the head with a hammer during the terrifying ordeal. The 30-year-old, from Failsworth, bit her face and threw objects at her while she was chained to the radiator.
His brave victim, who was 36 weeks pregnant at the time, tricked him into freeing her after she wet herself and claimed her waters had broken. He let her go after she exclaimed 'the baby's coming', Minshull Street Crown Court heard on Friday (March 31).
Corry, who was the father of her unborn child, then burst into tears with guilt and began apologising. He insisted he went with her to hospital, where on arrival she told a midwife about her horrendous ordeal.
It emerged paranoid Corry had wrongly accused his victim of cheating on him. At the time, he was on bail over a previous assault upon the same woman.
In a statement, the victim - who has since given birth to a healthy child - told the police: "I have sustained flashbacks and have nightmares all the time. It has significantly impacted my mental health and my friends and family have also been impacted by it.
"I remain terrified of him,” she said.
Corry - who had 35 previous offences on his record - was found guilty of false imprisonment, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and criminal damage. He was also convicted of battery and assault on an emergency worker.
Corry, of Ashton Road East, was jailed for six years. Following his release he will be on licence until 2032 under the terms of an extended sentence.
Thug threatened woman with machete - when she fought back he squirted ammonia in her eyes
A violent thug threatened a woman with a machete - but when she fought back he squirted ammonia into her eyes, leaving her in 'excruciating pain'.
Manchester Crown Court heard that Mohammed Susso, 20, met the victim in Little Hulton, back in June 2022. Once inside her vehicle, he pulled a machete from the waistband of his trousers and threatened her with it.
When she desperately fought back, Susso ran from the vehicle and retrieved a bottle he had hidden in the trees nearby. He then returned and squirted the contents of the bottle, later found to be ammonia, in the victim's eyes before stealing her vehicle.
Police said the victim was left in 'excruciating pain' and that the incident left her with long term injury to the cornea of her eye. In a powerful victim impact statement she said her independence had been 'completely taken away'.
"I feel like my independence has been completely taken away from me, due not only to the damage caused to my eyes but also the feeling of having no control over what happened," she said.
"I feel completely overwhelmed with everything and I never felt like that prior to the attack as I have always been self-sufficient.
"I feel as though my life has been on hold ever since June last year. I now just want to move past it and I am hoping that following the conclusion of court proceedings that this is something that I will be able to do.’’
Susso, of Manchester Road, Bolton, was sentenced to 10 years and two months in prison after pleading guilty to assault and robbery last Friday (March 31).
Bizarre moment man kisses girlfriend through court glass after being jailed for 'mad piece of driving'
A man who was jailed for an 'absolutely mad piece of driving' stopped to kiss his girlfriend through the court glass before being led away in handcuffs.
Ryan Cook, 33, led police on a high speed chase after he was spotted speeding by officers on duty in Ashton-under-Lyne, and failed to stop after they activated their emergency equipment.
As a judge at Minshull Street Crown Court jailed him for nine months, the defendant asked him: "Can I give my girlfriend a kiss at least?” before his partner walked up to the glass of the dock and the pair kissed.
The court heard Cook had been driving back from the hospital, after his pregnant partner had been induced, when he came to the attention of police, and failed to stop.
He weaved through traffic in the VW Golf, drove through multiple red lights, and at one stage reached 60mph in a 30mph zone.
The pursuit only came to an end when the Golf ploughed into a silver Mercedes taxi. The driver, who was not working at the time, was dropping his son off at his friends, when they heard a loud bang. Fortunately, neither the driver nor his son were seriously injured.
Cook attempted to flee following the crash but was arrested. Officers attempted to carry out a breathalyser test on him as they believed he was under the influence of alcohol, but he failed to provide a reading.
Cook, of Hope Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, was jailed for nine months and banned from driving for offences of dangerous driving, failing to provide a specimen of breath and driving with no insurance.
For more of today's top stories click here.
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