The target in the senseless shooting of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel is weeks away from being release from prison.
Joseph Nee, described as a professional career criminal, ran towards Olivia's home after he was shot in the midriff by Thomas Cashman last August.
The intended target in the attack is no stranger to the Merseyside underworld - a convicted drug dealer who had been shot before.
The 36-year-old was part way through a 45-month sentence handed to him in 2018 for burglary when he was gunned down by the killer.
The Ministry of Justice told MirrorOnline: "We can confirm Joseph Nee is due to be released."
But it has now been claimed that he could be on the streets as early as next month after being recalled for breaching the terms of his parole licence.
The MailOnline report that he will soon have his freedom again despite the court being told Nee’s long criminal history and all about his links to drug dealing and organised crime during his trial last year.
Cashman, 34, was found guilty of the sickening murder of the child whilst injuring her mum Cheryl Korbel, 46, after chasing Nee into their home in Dovecot, Liverpool, last August 22.
As well as murdering Olivia and wounding her mother with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, he was convicted of the attempted murder of Nee, possessing a 9mm self-loading pistol with intent to endanger life and guilty of possessing a revolver with intent to endanger life.
Cashman's associate Paul Russell was convicted of assisting an offender and will be sentenced on Monday alongside the killer.
Jurors heard how Nee had begged "please don't" as the gunman tried to finish him off, while he was fortunate the initial weapon used appeared to misfire, leading to the shooter to draw a second weapon as he continued the pursuit.
Within a matter of minutes, Olivia's mum had been shot through the hand trying to shut the front door to protect her family from the immediate threat Nee brought to her doorstep. A bullet went through the door and hit the nine-year-old in the chest, killing her.
Nee fled the home and was picked up by friends, leaving Olivia's family and neighbours to deal with the chaos before police arrived 10 minutes later.
Nee's friends brought him to the hospital.
He was handcuffed to his bedside for breaching the terms of his licence after being released from prison.
As the community tried to make sense of Olivia's death, Nee was refusing to cooperate with the police, it was reported at the time.
A source told The Sun: “He’s not being very helpful and not very happy at the idea of going back to prison.”
David McLachlan KC, prosecuting, said: “As of August 22, 2022, Joseph Nee and members of his immediate family had their enemies.”
In a ruling which could not be reported until the conclusion of the trial, Mrs Justice Yip responded to legal arguments made at Manchester Crown Court during private sessions in which the defendant’s legal team set out evidence they wanted to elicit in the case.
This included that there was a “background of hostility” between Nee's family and another family, the Hickmans, and that Nee had been shot at two weeks before the incident in which Olivia was killed.
The Mirror has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.
