The level of information shared by Dovecot locals in the Olivia Pratt-Korbel murder investigation was a sign that the community had become “fed up” with drug and gun crime, according to the former deputy mayor and an L14 resident.
Cllr Harry Doyle, a lifelong Dovecot resident and representative of the neighbouring Knotty Ash ward, believes the area is now taking its first steps towards recovery after a jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict in the near month-long trial following nine-year-old Olivia’s death on August 22, 2022. Drug dealer Thomas Cashman, 34, of Grenadier Drive, West Derby, was found guilty of the murder of Olivia and the attempted murder of intended target Joseph Nee and wounding with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm against Cheryl Korbel.
Cashman is set to be sentenced on Monday. Visiting the streets yesterday where the tragic incident unfolded last summer, Cllr Doyle told the ECHO that he hopes the verdict can now be a “turning point” for the area and wider city’s fight against organised drug and associated gun crime.
READ MORE: 'Relief' and 'determination' as Dovecot begins its recovery after Olivia murder
Cllr Doyle said: “The level of information that came forward is a good sign that people are fed up. The weeks of the community sharing whatever they had, video footage, doorbells, dashcams - it was unprecedented.
“It almost feels like the community played a huge part in getting justice for Olivia and her family.”
Noting that “Dovecot has been in the press for all of the wrong reasons”, he added that the area was seen by many as a “quiet community” but was torn apart by simmering underworld tensions. He therefore took aim at the criminal drug trade and those who sustain it through the purchase of illegal substances.
He said: "People who partake and take drugs to have a good night out and enjoy themselves, think about how you've come into contact with those drugs. How have they got here, whether that’s county lines, huge organised crime groups.
“People are dying on the streets, it is ruining communities, ruining people's lives, it has ruined Olivia's family's lives. Just think about that.”
Cllr Doyle concluded that there is a "relief" in the local area following the verdict, but there is also a "determination" to ensure progress is made, adding: “[People have] not always felt confident to report [drug related] instances in the past, but maybe just now they might.”
Get the top stories straight to your inbox by signing up to our what's on newsletter
READ NEXT:
Mum heard wailing 'the baby' as man runs into burning flat block
Paul O'Grady's daughter breaks silence over TV star's sudden death
Olivia killer Thomas Cashman was quizzed over 'body in the snow' murder
H&M's 'absolutely gorgeous' £18 dupe of a £2,000 Valentino bag
