Thomas Cashman was seen wiping tears away in the dock as he heard Olivia Pratt-Korbel's mum recall the night her daughter was shot dead.
A video interview Cheryl Korbel gave to police was played to the jury, on the fourth day of the 34-year-old's trial on Thursday. He denies murdering the nine-year-old or any involvement in attempting to kill "intended target" Joseph Nee, 36, on Monday, August 22 last year.
At one point, Cashman - of Grenadier Drive in West Derby - wiped a tear away with his hand before a security guard passed him a tissue, as he heard Ms Korbel describe the moment the schoolgirl was shot in the chest. Olivia died when a bullet fired by a gunman, who the prosecution claim was the defendant, passed through the front door of the family home on Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, before hitting her mum in the hand then striking the youngster.
READ MORE: Olivia Pratt-Korbel's mum breaks down as she says 'I couldn't shut the door'
Ms Korbel described how the "horrendous" sound of the gunshots that killed her daughter and wounded her in the wrist would stay with her forever. She said: "It was like off a movie, the sounds they make. It was the sound of it going through my wrist as well. It’s hard to explain the sound."
Jurors at Manchester Crown Square Crown Court were also played a video interview given by Olivia's older sister, Chloe Korbel. The teenager described how she was upstairs in her mum's bed on the night in question when she heard bangs outside.
Chloe said: "I heard two shots, I thought it was fireworks. Then I heard the second one, I thought 'no that’s not fireworks'. I jumped out of my mum’s bed and went to the window. There were two lads running down the road.
"I seen the front door light come on. My mum was opening the door, she’s gone out.
"My little sister obviously got out of bed and went downstairs saying she was scared. They ran towards the house, my mum was outside so she was running back to the house. Because the door was on the latch it didn't shut properly, me and my mum were holding it then. Then another shot got fired.
"I ran upstairs and rang 999. I heard mum screaming that Olivia had been hit."
Chloe paused and put her head in her hands, before saying: "Then another two shots went off, but no-one else was injured.
"My mum were just pressing on my little sister with towels trying to stop the bleeding. My brother started shouting at the man sat on the doorstep telling him to get out the house, and he wouldn’t."
Chloe looked out across the road from an upstairs window, saying of this: "There was some man, he walked diagonally across to the left. The man stumbled, fell onto his knees and lay down on the floor in the road.
"My mum shouted me to get another towel. I ran down and got the towel and brought it back up.
"I was still on the phone to 999, they were asking me is she still breathing - I said I don’t know. All I could hear was my mum shouting."
Of the two men, Chloe told detectives: “There was two people, I couldn’t see what they looked like. They’ve tried to get in.
"The lad that got shot, the lad on the doorstep, he was trying to get in the house. He’s pushed the door, but he couldn’t get in because me and my mum were holding it.
"Obviously the gunman has followed the other lad that he was chasing. Obviously when he was outside the house, he must have shot him - he was sat on the step.
"I was on the phone with them, I went round my mum’s room just doing laps. My mum was working on my little sister, trying to stop the bleeding.
"While I was speaking to them my brother was shouting down the stairs, ‘get out my house’. I was just looking out the window to see where the police were and the ambulance."
Chloe said her brother Ryan knew the man who was being chased, who he told her was "Joey". Officers asked the teen if she knew his surname, to which she replied "Joey Nee".
She added: "I didn’t see his face. He just fell to his knees.
"The car has come, then the man fell to his knees and lay down across the road. I don’t know what happened after that."
The court heard during the prosecution's opening on Tuesday the armed man had been "relentlessly pursuing" Joseph Nee, having approached him and and a man called Paul Abraham from behind and fired shots at his "target" with a 9mm self-loading pistol. Nee - who had been watching the Liverpool v Manchester United game with friends including Mr Abraham at a house on Finch Lane - was struck in the midriff and fell to the ground, but may have been saved when the gun appeared to "malfunction" as the gunman stood over him.
He was then able to scramble to his feet and ran towards the Korbel family home, where he barged through the partially open front door. The assailant however, had a second firearm - a revolver - and continued to give chase, firing a further two shots with this weapon.
One of these struck and killed Olivia. The other became lodged in the doorframe.
Cashman denies murdering Olivia, the attempted murder of Nee, wounding with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm against Cheryl Korbel and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. The trial continues.
READ NEXT: Thomas Cashman trial updates as mum says 'I couldn't shut the door' before Olivia Pratt-Korbel shot
Eyewitnesses heard 'worst screams ever' as dying Olivia Pratt-Korbel carried out of house
Jury see CCTV of wounded Joseph Nee carried into hospital by 'associates'
Thomas Cashman jury shown CCTV footage of his movements hours before Olivia Pratt-Korbel was killed
Olivia Pratt-Korbel shouted 'mum I'm scared' as shots were fired
