This is the moment ‘high level’ cannabis dealer Thomas Cashman started shooting at the intended victim of a botched gangland ‘hit’ which ended in the murder of a nine-year-old girl.
CCTV footage released by Merseyside Police shows Cashman, 34, open fire on convicted burglar Joseph Nee and chase him down Kingheath Avenue, in the quiet suburb of Dovecot, Liverpool, last August.
But as the balaclava-clad killer towered over begging Nee, 36, just before 10pm, his Glock-style handgun malfunctioned, allowing Nee to escape and run for his life.
Nee then forced his way into the home of Olivia Pratt-Korbel when her mother Cheryl, 46, opened her front door upon hearing the gunshots ringing through the streets.
Cashman, in ‘ruthless pursuit of Nee’ and armed with two guns, then opened fire, striking Mrs Korbel in the hand and hitting Olivia in the chest moments after she ran downstairs saying: ‘Mum, I’m scared’.
Armed police rushed the youngster to hospital but she was pronounced dead a short time later.
The murder shocked the nation and saw an outpouring of grief in Liverpool, a city that swore never again after the senseless murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones in 2007.
Cashman had denied the murder, at times breaking down in tears as he gave testimony during his 18-day trial at Manchester Crown Court – proceedings could not be held in Liverpool over fears he would not receive a fair trial.
At one point, the father broke down in tears as he told the jury: ‘I am getting the blame for something I haven’t done. I’m getting blamed for killing a child and I have got my own children. I’m a dad, I’m not a killer’.
Thomas Cashman (pictured left), 34, chasing Joseph Nee (right), 36, who was the intended target of a botched gangland hit that resulting in the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel (pictured) died after being shot at her house in Dovecot, Liverpool, in August last year
He claimed he had been elsewhere ‘smoking a spliff’ with a friend and counting £10,000 when the murder happened.
It was the ‘incredible bravery’ of the prosecution’s star witness – whose identity can never be revealed – who had a relationship with him that was key in convicting him.
She revealed he had come to her house after the shooting where she heard him say he had ‘done Joey’.
In his attempts to deny the murder, Cashman tried to discredit the witness, painting her as a ‘scorned’ woman who was trying to ‘ruin’ his life because he would not leave his partner for her.
During the trial, Cashman (pictured) admitted to being a ‘high-level cannabis dealer’ who made between £3,000 and £5,000 a week selling about five to 10kg of marijuana
The woman said she had now left Liverpool but was still ‘terrified’ of giving evidence against Cashman but had chosen to do so because a child had died.
‘When there’s a little girl involved, there’s no form of grassing in my world,’ she said.
‘Because of this little girl. I just feel like if he was any sort of man, he would just… own it.
‘I can’t believe he’s making her family go through this. It’ s child, it’s a child. They all should be ashamed of themselves who are supporting him as well.’
A general view of Kingsheath Avenue, Liverpool, where Olivia Pratt-Korbal was shot dead in her home last August
But unconvinced by his version of events, the jury took a matter of hours to find Cashman guilty on all charges, including the murder of Olivia, the attempted murder of Nee, grievous bodily harm against Olivia’s mother, and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.
As relief sounded through the courtroom from her devastated family today, the callous ruthlessness of her killer was plain to see in his police-issued mugshot.
Cashman’s cold, dead eyes could be seen staring down the lens as he is shown with his head cockily thrown back in arrogant aggression.
Upon leaving the court, Mrs Corbel told rporters she was feeling ‘ecstatic’ over the verdict, raising a pink teddy bear into the air and shouting ‘yes!’
His partner, Kayleeanne Sweeney was pictured leaving the courtroom, as was his family who were shouting and protesting Cashman’s innocence.
Also there were Olivia’s family, her father John, mother Cheryl and brother and sister Chloe and Ryan.
Upon leaving the court, Mrs Corbel told a scrum of reporters she was feeling ‘ecstatic’ over the verdict, raising a pink teddy bear into the air and shouting ‘yes!’
Sentencing has been adjourned until April 3.
