Olivia Pratt-Korbel's killer Thomas Cashman could have his 42-year prison sentence increased after complaints it was too lenient.
Cowardly child killer Cashman, 34, sparked outrage by refusing to face the nine-year-old's relatives in Manchester Crown Court when he was jailed for a minimum of 42-years. The drug dealer shot Olivia in her home on Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, in August last year.
An extensive court case heard how Cashman had "lay in wait" with two guns to execute 36-year-old convicted criminal Joseph Nee. When his intended victim ran towards Olivia's home, Cashman followed and fired.
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Cheryl Korbel, 46, was hit in the wrist as she tried to keep the door shut. The same bullet hit her daughter in the chest fatally wounding her. Olivia's last words before the gun went off were "Mum, I'm scared."
This morning the Attorney General's Office confirmed to the ECHO that Cashman's sentence had been referred for being unduly lenient. An Attorney General's Office spokesperson said: "We have received a request for this sentence to be considered under the Unduly Lenient scheme. The law officers have 28 days from sentencing to consider the case and make a decision."
The office now has a deadline of May 1 - 28 days on from Cashman's sentencing on April 3, to decide whether to refer the complaint to the Court of Appeal. Judges could increase his 42-year sentence to a whole life term if the case.
It was also confirmed yesterday that Cashman, a dad of two, has appealed to have his jail term reduced. A Court of Appeal official confirmed: "We received an application for leave to appeal the claimant's sentence." However, no application has been made in relation to his murder conviction.
A single appeal court judge will now decide if the thug should be given the opportunity to appeal. If he is, the case will be heard by three judges sitting at the Court of Appeal Criminal Division.
After Cashman was jailed, Cheryl said: "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. Everyone adored her."
Sentencing Cashman in absentia, Mrs Justice Amanda Yip said she had considered handing down a whole-life order, meaning he would never be released. But she told how she decided it was not merited because the planning and premeditation in his attack was not directed at Olivia.
Justice Yip said the killer was "not of previous good character", had made it clear he was a criminal and had "demonstrated no remorse” during his trial. The judge added: “His failure to come into court is further evidence of that."
The ECHO is campaigning for a change in the law to close a loophole that allows criminals to hide from their sentencing hearings. Backed by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, the campaign calls for the government to stop dragging its feet and swiftly bring in a change in the law to force criminals like Cashman to appear in the dock.
Olivia’s brave mum Cheryl doesn’t want others to face the same injustice that she and her family suffered as Cashman hid away from facing them at his sentencing hearing. Speaking with our sister paper the Sunday Mirror, she said: "Why should we go through all that and then he gets the option of not being there? It’s like a kick in the teeth. He’s just a coward – and that’s being polite. I’ve got some slight comfort from him being behind bars. But he’s still got a roof over his head, three square meals, access to gyms and this, that and the other."
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