Man denies murdering Olivia Pratt-Korbel, 9, after Liverpool shooting
21 December 2022, 10:53 | Updated: 21 December 2022, 11:24
A man has pleaded not guilty to the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel after she was killed in Liverpool in August.
Thomas Cashman, 34, appeared in court on Wednesday accused of murdering Olivia, who was shot to death on August 22 when convicted burglar Joseph Nee burst into her home in Dovecot to flee a gunman who opened fire.
She and her mother Cheryl were hit, with Ms Korbel shot through the hand and surviving. Olivia was shot in the chest and died.
Cashman, of Grenadier Drive, West Derby, denied the attempted murder of Nee and wounding Ms Korbel with intent, as well as two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Ms Korbel was in court along with other family members, some of whom shook their heads as the not guilty pleas were entered.
While Olivia lay dying at the family home, Nee was picked up by his friends who took him to hospital, where he was later arrested for breaching his licence.
Neither of the men involved had links to her family.
The death of Olivia caused a huge uproar in Liverpool and further afield. Her funeral was held at St Margaret Mary's Church on September 15 in Knotty Ash, not far from the family home.
Pink ties, jackets, scarves and bows were worn by those attending the service after her family asked people to wear a "splash of pink".
Ms Korbel carried a pink teddy bear into the service, during which she said: "Liv touched so many people's hearts and was loved and adored by everyone. She will never be forgotten.
Olivia Pratt-Korbel's family release tribute to nine-year-old
"I will never say goodbye but what I will say is goodnight, love you, see you in the morning."
Ms Korbel had earlier paid tribute to her daughter, calling her "amazing".
"She loved life," the grieving mother said. "She was my little shadow, she went everywhere with me."
"She didn't like school because she had to do work, but she loved it because she was there with all her friends," Cheryl went on, in a video released through Merseyside Police.
Father of Olivia Pratt-Korbel says her death ‘cannot be in vain’
"Everyone that she met, they all fell in love with her. She left a mark on everyone that she met.
"And she may well have only been nine, but she packed a lot in them nine years.
"And that's what I missed the most, because I can't hear her talk," she went on.
"No one, no one at all should have to go through this.
"We were organising days out, we were on the summer holidays.
"We took Liv swimming. We went to Blackpool, just me and Liv, and we were talking about going together, a new uniform for school... but I didn't get that chance.
"To go and get a school uniform. But I'll keep going for Liv."
Olivia's father John Francis Pratt added his tribute to his young daughter.
In a statement made with his wider family, he said: "We don't want another child to lose their life in such horrendous circumstances and we don't want to see another family suffer like we are suffering now.
"Olivia's death cannot be in vain and we want people to feel safe and be safe, that can only happen if we all come together and make sure there is no place for guns, or those who use guns on our streets or in our communities."
