Olivia Pratt-Korbel's family shed tears of relief after hearing Thomas Cashman sentenced to a minimum of 42 years in prison.
The 34-year-old, of Grenadier Drive in West Derby, was unanimously found guilty of murdering the nine-year-old schoolgirl by a jury last week. Olivia was shot dead in her own home on Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecot in one of the most horrific crimes in Merseyside's history.
Cashman was due to return to court to be sentenced this afternoon, Monday, but refused to appear in the dock to learn his fate - despite the judge telling him to. Professor John Cooper KC, defending, said his client was "concerned that the matter was turning into a circus" and claimed he had heard representatives of the Crown Prosecution Service "loudly" singing 'We are the Champions' after the verdict was delivered.
