In the wake of a series of shocking murders, including the death of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, the glare of the national news agenda has been on Liverpool for all the wrong reasons.
On August 16, a run of more than a year with no firearms related homicides in Merseyside came to an abrupt end with the shooting of 22-year-old Sam Rimmer in Lavrock Bank, Dingle, after he and his associates had chased away a two men on an electric bike. Five days later, on August 21, a gunman burst into the home of 28-year-old environmental health officer Ashley Dale, in Leinster Road, Old Swan, and unleashed multiple shots "indiscriminately", hitting her in the stomach area.
Less than 24 hours after that, on Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecot, a balaclava clad man carrying two guns opened fire at a convicted criminal called Joseph Nee. The killer chased his target into Olivia's home and opened fire, fatally wounding the schoolgirl, while also leaving her mum, Cheryl Korbel, and Nee needing hospital treatment for gunshot wounds.
