Olivia Pratt-Korbel: Man accused of murdering nine-year-old girl 'lay in wait with two loaded guns' for intended target
Nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead at her home last August
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Thomas Cashman intended to shoot his target “at all costs” after “lying in wait” for him with a revolver and self-loading pistol last year before allegedly shooting Olivia Pratt-Korbel, a court heard.
The nine-year-old was shot dead when a bullet was fired in her family home in August last year after Olivia’s mother opened the door when she heard loud bangs.
Cheryl Korbel was shot in the hand as the gunman chased convicted burglar Joseph Nee into their house.
A bullet hit Olivia in the chest while she was standing on the stairs, fatally wounding her.
Olivia Pratt-Korbel was pronounced dead after being shot in the chest
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On Monday, the first day of the murder trial, Olivia’s mother and other family members arrived at court wearing pink ribbons.
Opening the case - where Cashman has denied murder, attempted murder and wounding with intent - prosecutor David McLachlan KC said Nee was “without doubt the intended target”.
He said Nee was watching a football match at the house of another man, Timothy Naylor, in Dovecot, Liverpool and left around 10pm on August 22 after another person ran after him.
The jury was shown CCTV stills of the person following Nee, who the prosecution say is Cashman.
McLachlan said three shots were fired, at least one of which hit Nee in the midriff, before Nee stumbled and Cashman tried to shoot again but for some reason, potentially because his self-loading pistol malfunctioned, was “unable to complete his task”.
The court heard that Nee ran away from Cashman and when Olivia’s mother opened the door, he made a dash towards the house.
Cashman was “relentless in pursuit” and fired at Nee with a second weapon, a revolver, McLachlan said.
He said: “This shot missed Joseph Nee and went through Cheryl Korbel's front door.
“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.”
The court heard that after Nee entered Olivia’s family home, the gunman was able to get his hand around the side of the door and fired again, with the bullet lodged in the internal door frame.
McLachlan said Cashman ran off and Nee stumbled outside the house, where he was picked up in a car and taken to hospital.
Olivia Pratt-Korbel was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital
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Armed officers attended the scene and Olivia was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the court heard.
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.”