Holding a patchwork teddy bear made from her daughter’s pyjamas, the mother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel movingly described the heartbreak caused by losing her “beautiful, sassy, chatty girl who never ran out of energy”.
Cheryl Korbel spoke in court minutes before a judge on Monday jailed Thomas Cashman, her daughter’s killer, for a minimum of 42 years.
Cashman, a drug dealer, was last week found guilty of murdering Olivia while he was in “ruthless pursuit” of Joseph Nee, another criminal.
Holding back tears, Olivia’s mother described her anguish at not being able to give her daughter CPR because of her injuries. “I felt helpless … My worst nightmare was being separated from Liv and not being with her when she needed me most. I was the first person to hold my baby girl and as her mum I should have been the last.
“I cannot get my head around how Cashman continued to shoot after hearing the terrifying screams. The utter devastation he has caused … He doesn’t care. How could he? That man set out to do a job and he didn’t care about anyone else, or who got in the way.”
Korbel added: “Liv was the light of our lives, a sassy, chatty girl who never ran out of energy. She was a character, she was my baby, she had amazing qualities, and knew what she wanted in life.”
The court heard how Korbel had opened her front door to hear what the commotion was and found Nee and the pursuing Cashman barging into the family home.
A single bullet from Cashman’s gun went through the door and Korbel’s wrist before fatally going through the chest of Olivia.
Sentencing Cashman, Mrs Justice Yip said it was a crime that “shocked not only the city of Liverpool, but the nation”.
The events of 22 August last year were “chilling”, the judge said, and it “strikes fear not only into the immediate community, but also into the minds of other children and their parents”. There was no mitigation, she said.
Cashman was given a mandatory life sentence by Yip and told he must serve at least 42 years, minus the 182 days he has spent on remand. Even then, when Cashman will be 76, it will be up to the Parole Board whether to release him.
Olivia’s sister Chloe, 18, also spoke in court of someone she regarded as her best friend. “She was such a clever girl and definitely older than her years,” she said. “When I was told she passed away, I felt as though my heart had stopped beating.
“A piece of me left with her that night and since then I have felt as though I am in a nightmare that I cannot wake up from.”
A statement was read out on behalf of Olivia’s father, John Pratt, who said his heart was “forever broken”, and that he had been unable to mix with people or work properly since the murder.
None of the statements were heard by Cashman, who had refused to come to court from his cell in the building.
His barrister, John Cooper KC, said Cashman had heard that members of the Crown Prosecution Service had sung We Are the Champions after the guilty verdict. “He is concerned that the matter is turning into a circus,” Cooper said.
Yip said the refusal was disrespectful to the court but, more importantly, disrespectful to the family. Cashman, who described himself as a “high level” cannabis dealer, had denied that he was the gunman, telling the court: “I’m not a killer, I’m a dad.”
He said he was at another address at the time of the shooting and a witness was produced giving Cashman an alibi. But after a 19-day trial, a jury at Manchester crown court decided that the alibi was fake.
He sobbed as he was found guilty of murdering Olivia as well as of the attempted murder of Nee and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
The court heard that Cashman had been “scoping out” Nee on the day of the shooting and lay in wait for him, armed with two guns, as he watched a football match at the house of a friend. Footage played to the jury showed the gunman, wearing tracksuit bottoms that matched a pair worn by Cashman, chasing Nee and firing three shots.
The key incriminating evidence came from a woman who had a fling with Cashman. She told the jury he came to her house after the shooting, where he changed his clothes and she heard him say he had “done Joey”.
Yip has granted the woman lifelong anonymity and on Monday she praised the woman’s bravery. “She chose to do the right thing,” the judge said.
“The defendant invented a defence designed to humiliate and undermine her. It did not work. She was subjected to lengthy questioning about the most intimate details, but she stood firm. I am sorry that she had to endure that, but endure it she did, and her courage is to be applauded.”
Det Supt Mark Baker, the senior investigating officer, said the bravery of Olivia’s family was “in direct contrast to the cowardice shown by Thomas Cashman”. Speaking outside court, he welcomed the sentence, which means Cashman will not be out of jail “until he’s a very old man”.
He added: “I hope that the sentence of 42 years given to Cashman today will act as a deterrent for anyone who thinks of picking up a gun and putting our communities at risk through their reckless behaviour.”
Cheryl Korbel also spoke outside court after the sentencing. Thanking both the jury and the female witness, she said: “Justice has prevailed and I cannot begin to express our relief … We welcome the sentence given, but what I can say is that my family and I have already started our life sentence having to spend the rest of our lives without Olivia.”
