Thomas Cashman will be sentenced for the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel today (April 3).
The 34-year-old 'high level' drug dealer was found guilty by a jury of murdering the little girl, shooting her dead inside her home on August 22 last year. The sentencing will take place at Manchester Crown Court today and will be streamed live.
Cashman is set to receive a life imprisonment as he was unanimously convicted for the shooting that shocked the nation. Justice Amanda Yip, who presided over his trial, will be required to set a minimum term which the 34-year-old must serve behind bars before he is considered eligible for release.
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He is due to be sentenced after 2pm.
As well as murdering Olivia he was found guilty of the wounding with intent of her mother Cheryl Korbel, 46, as he chased convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee into their home in the Dovecot area of the city. The jury also found him guilty of the attempted murder of Nee and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
During the 19-day trial at Manchester Crown Court the jury heard that had been “scoping out” Nee, the intended target, 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 which matched a pair worn by Cashman, chasing Nee up Kingsheath Avenue and firing three shots.
The jury was told Nee ran towards the open door of Olivia’s family home, after Ms Korbel came out to see what the noise was, and the fatal shot was fired through the front door. It hit Ms Korbel in the wrist as she tried to shut the door and struck Olivia in the chest.
Cashman denied being at the scene of the crime that night. He told the court: “I’m not a killer, I’m a dad.”
But the most compelling evidence came from a woman who had an affair with Cashman, telling the jury he came to her house after the shooting, where he changed his clothes and she heard him say he had “done Joey”.
Cashman shook his head as the jury found him guilty after more than nine hours of deliberations on Thursday last week (March 30) before putting his head in his hands and weeping. Tears were also present among Olivia's family as mum Cheryl clutched a teddy bear and wore a pink cardigan in tribute to her daughter.
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