Thomas Cashman claims murder jury was given panic alerts during trial

Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s killer has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 42 years in prison for shooting the nine-year-old in her own home.

Thomas Cashman He claimed jurors were given a panic alarm by police during their deliberations before convicting him of the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel. 36-year-old from Grenadier Drive Western DerbyHe was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 42 years after a jury last year found him unanimously guilty of murdering a nine-year-old schoolgirl.

Olivia was shot dead at her home on Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecot. In one of the most horrific crimes in Merseyside history. As Cashman followed his intended target, Joseph Nee, into the house, his mother, Cheryl Korbel, was also struck by a bullet.

The murderer appeared before him. Supreme Court He is in London today (Wednesday) with the aim of overturning his conviction. However, this proposal was rejected by the presiding judges Lord Justice Holroyde, Sir Stephen Irwin and Mr Justice Hilliard.

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Cashman’s lawyer, John Cooper KC, told the court there should be an investigation into allegations that jurors were given a panic alarm by police during their deliberations without the knowledge of the prosecution or the defence. However, it was said that there was no evidence to support this claim.

It was also claimed that documents regarding Paul Russell’s testimony were given to the jurors, although they were not presented to the court. Cashman’s accomplice pleaded guilty to assisting an offender before trial and was later sentenced to 22 months in prison, but that sentence was not presented to the jury.

Mr Cooper said: “The allegation is so serious that it would be wrong not to launch an investigation. We only want an investigation. We are not demanding a settlement. It is in the public interest for the allegations to come to light.” “Things of such a serious nature are done, they are proven or lies.”

The Crown Prosecution Service opposed the motion, with its representative David McLachlan KC arguing there was “no evidence of jury impropriety”. Cashman did not attend Wednesday’s hearing, but Cheryl Korbel followed the hearing via video link.

Rejecting the application, Lord Justice Holdroyde stated that all the reasons for the panel’s decision would be announced at a later date. He stated: “The result, of course, is that Mr Cashman remains as convicted as before.”

A hearing at Manchester Crown Square Crown Court had previously heard Cashman was “waiting” for Nee with two loaded guns while he watched the Liverpool FC v Manchester United football match on television at his friend Timmy Naylor’s Finch Lane home. When he left the address with another man, the gunman approached them from behind and opened fire with a self-loading Glock-style pistol.

A chilling piece of CCTV footage showed the second male, Paul Abraham, running for his life as two loud explosions sounded. Convicted thief and drug dealer Nee was shot in the middle at this point and fell to the ground as a result of his injuries.

Prosecutor Mr McLachlan told jurors Cashman had “murder on his mind” and as he stood over the helpless man and tried to fire the firearm again, the man pleaded: “Please don’t. Lad, don’t.”

However, the gun malfunctioned and Nee managed to escape. But Cashman continued his “relentless pursuit” as he fled towards the Korbel family home.

Panicked by the gunshots coming from outside, Olivia’s mother had stepped out of her home to investigate, but quickly ran back inside when she saw Nee running towards her and away from the assassin, who was dressed all in black and had his face covered. He then grappled with the gunman’s intended target in an attempt to keep the front door closed and keep him out of the property, but was unable to close the door completely as the door was left on the latch to allow neighbors to enter. a cup of tea.

At this point, the attacker fired another shot with a second backup weapon, a 0.3 caliber pistol. This was the shot that cost Olivia her life; The bullet went through the door, passed through his mother’s hand and hit her in the chest.

The schoolgirl was upstairs in her bed, but was startled by the chaos and was heard saying “mom, I’m scared” as she ran down the stairs to her mother. With Nee now inside, Cashman put his arm around the door and fired one last shot, lodged in the door frame.

The first police officer on the scene picked up Olivia and rushed over. Alder Hey Children’s Hospital He was pronounced dead only shortly before 11.30pm after sustaining critical injuries. There were emotional scenes in court as Cheryl Korbel described the tragedy in a video interview with police that was played to the jury.

“I heard the baby screaming, so I turned around and saw him sitting at the bottom of the stairs. I couldn’t keep him awake,” she told detectives.

Nee was put into a car by friends and taken to Whiston Hospital, where he was later transferred. aintree He was hospitalized after suffering gunshot wounds to the chest and lower abdomen. Meanwhile, Cashman fled the scene by jumping from backyards before going to the house of a woman with whom he had a previous relationship.

She was woken up by her boyfriend, Russell, standing next to her bed before calling her, who came home later. The witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, reported hearing Cashman make an apparent confession to his wife on the doorstep and tell her, “I’ve got Joey taken care of.”

He was then given a change of clothes before being taken back by Russell to the Citroen Berlingo van he had previously parked on Aspes Road. A pair of Under Armor tracksuit bottoms given to him at this time were later found at his sister’s home in Mab Lane, with his DNA and traces of gunpowder residue on them.

The woman who gave evidence in the witness box said at the hearing: “I’m sorry, I can’t forgive anyone who harmed any child. If he were any man, he would have owned it.” I can’t believe he put the family through what he went through. This is a child who will never go home again. This breaks my heart.”

The attacker was also identified as wearing distinctive Monterrain tracksuits that matched a pair owned by Cashman. He had been observed on CCTV making a number of trips down Finch Lane on the day in question; This includes an allegation that he noticed Nee’s van outside around 4pm and attempted to carry out the attack. But this was prevented when the then 35-year-old went to visit Screwfix.

But Cashman, in his statement, claimed he had nothing to do with the shooting and was counting £10,000 in cash and “having a drink” at his friend Craig Byrne’s house in Snowberry Road at the time. He admitted being a “high-end” drug dealer earning up to £5,000 a week selling cannabis and his various trips around the area during the day were allegedly related to his involvement in the supply of the class B substance.

Cashman, meanwhile, accused the woman he had a fling with of trying to frame the murder on her because she was a “scorned woman.” She suggested that Russell owed her £25,000 and questioned the jury whether she was motivated by the prospect of reward money: “It shows you the lengths a woman who has a thing for someone will go. That’s how low they’ll go.”

Cashman also stated that he had “no problems” with the Nee family and counted them as friends. The father of two children said on the stand: “I am not a murderer, I am a father.”

But he was ultimately found guilty of murder, attempted murder of Nee, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm to Cheryl Korbel, and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life by a jury. The Court of Appeal also rejected Cashman’s application to appeal his sentence in November 2023.