The 35-year-old man who was being targeted by the gunman who shot and killed nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel has been arrested for breaching the terms of his release from prison and will be questioned in connection with the murder, Merseyside Police said.
Olivia died on Monday night when a 35-year-old man, unknown to the family, ran into her terraced house in Kingsheath Avenue, in the Dovecot area of Liverpool, in an attempt to get away from a shooter.
Merseyside Police said the 35-year-old has been detained in hospital on a prison recall after breaching the terms of his licence.
A force spokesman said he will then be recalled to prison to serve the remainder of his licence, adding that he would be questioned in connection with the murder.
Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Social media
Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen (left)
Peter Byrne
Police did not specify what he was in prison for and how long his sentence was.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen said: “I can tell you the male I discussed at the press conference yesterday, who had been shot at and chased into the home address of Cheryl and Olivia, has now been arrested.
“That’s not in relation to the murder of Olivia per se. The reason for that arrest is for breach of his existing licence conditions.
"The nature of that breach is for poor behaviour.
"He remains in hospital and, last update, he was in a stable condition.”
Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told a press conference on Tuesday: “This is a shocking and appalling attack which will reverberate around our communities, and I want to take this opportunity again to appeal to anybody who knows who was responsible for this attack to please come forward and give us those names.
“We need to find all who are responsible for – not just the gunman, we need to find who supplied the weapon and who arranged this terrible incident.”
Ms Kennedy added: “We will not rest until those who are responsible are put behind bars. I can guarantee that no stone will be left unturned.”
