There were few fireworks as Thomas Cashman, “the most hated man in Britain” according to his own barrister, gave evidence during his trial at Manchester Crown Court.
The 34-year-old stood accused of one of the most devastating crimes in the history of Merseyside. But the man who had been hunted so tirelessly by Merseyside Police since the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel was calm, softly spoken, sometimes so quiet trial judge Mrs Justice Yip had to ask him to raise his voice.
The details of the killing, on the evening of August 22 last year, do not lose their nightmarish horror for having been heard so many times. Cashman, on a mission to execute convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee, blindly fired two shots into the home of Olivia’s mum Cheryl Korbel, after 35-year-old Nee barged inside in a desperate bid to save his own life.
