Olivia Pratt-Korbel: Man accused of murdering nine-year-old ‘lay in wait’ for intended target, prosecution says

The man who allegedly murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was “lying in wait” for his intended target on the evening she was shot, a court has been told.

Olivia was killed on 22 August last year as a gunman chased convicted burglar Joseph Nee into her home. Her mother, Cheryl Korbel, 46, was injured in the shooting.

Thomas Cashman, 34, is on trial for her murder, which he denies.

He had two loaded firearms in his possession on 22 August last year and was waiting for Mr Nee, who was “without doubt the intended target”, David McLachlan KC, for the prosecution, said.

Mr McLachlan said Mr Nee was watching a football match at the house of Timothy Naylor in Dovecot, Liverpool, and when he left the house at around 10pm another person ran after him.

The jury was shown CCTV stills of the person following Mr Nee, who the prosecution say is Cashman.

Mr McLachlan said: “This is what this case is all about. This is serious business, as you will appreciate.

“It is about the ruthless pursuit by Thomas Cashman to shoot Joseph Nee at all costs without any consideration for anyone else in the community.

“Such was the planning and ruthless nature of this attack that Thomas Cashman, we say, went armed and was in possession of two loaded firearms.

“When, in all likelihood one of them failed, he simply turned to the other one to execute, literally, his plan.

“Thomas Cashman’s actions resulted in Joseph Nee being injured, Cheryl Korbel being injured and, most tragically of all in this case, Olivia Pratt-Korbel being killed.”

Gunman fired several shots

The court heard when Mr Nee left Mr Naylor’s house around 10pm a gunman, who the prosecution allege was Cashman, ran behind him and fired three shots from a self-loading pistol, one of which hit Mr Nee in the midriff.

Mr Nee stumbled and Cashman stood over him and tried to fire again but, possibly because the pistol malfunctioned, he was unable to complete his “task” and kill Mr Nee, Mr McLachlan said.

The prosecutor said Ms Korbel opened her front door after hearing a noise outside and as she did so Mr Nee “made a dash” towards her house, with Cashman in pursuit.

Cashman fired at Mr Nee from a second weapon, a revolver, and hit the front door of the family home, the court heard.

Mr McLachlan said: “That fourth likely shot passed through the door, it then passed through Cheryl Korbel’s right hand as she was no doubt trying to shut the door. The bullet then went into the chest of Cheryl Korbel’s daughter Olivia Pratt-Korbel.”

Mr Nee managed to get inside the house and Cashman allegedly fired again into the doorframe, after getting his arm around the door. He then ran away.

Olivia was pronounced dead at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital later that night.

Cashman, of Grenadier Drive, Liverpool, denies the murder of Olivia, the attempted murder of Mr Nee, wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm to Ms Korbel and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

The trial is expected to last four weeks.