ECHO readers have said the judge should "throw away the key" as Thomas Cashman has appealed to have his jail term reduced.
The 34-year-old was jailed for a minimum of 42 years for murdering nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel. But yesterday the Court of Appeal said they received an "application for leave to appeal the claimant’s sentence."
A single appeal court judge will now decide if the thug should be given the opportunity to appeal. If he is, the case will be heard by three judges sitting at the Court of Appeal Criminal Division.
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On the ECHO's Facebook page, Amanda Douglas commented: "Throw away the key." Kerryann Gaven said: "What planet is he living. People like him shouldn't be allowed to appeal."
Lauren Campbell added: "Christ, he’s shown no remorse and now this. Throw away the key." Many readers hope that the judge will hand Cashman a longer sentence.
John Simmonds commented: "Let's hope he gets a judge that decides his sentence isn't long enough and give him another 40 years." Diane Mccormack added: "Hope he gets a whole life sentence what he should have got in the first place. Appeals can work both ways."
A third, Katrina Mitchell said: "He should be given more years added to his sentence for having the audacity to even think of appealing after what he has done."
People also pointed out that Cashman didn't turn up for his sentencing. Geraldine Arands said: "What a cheek, increase it for no show at court." Alex Coward echoed this, writing: "Fine reduce it by six months and add another 10 years for refusing to face his sentence."
While Neil Griffin said: "They should schedule an appeal hearing and then have the judge refuse to come into the courtroom."
The ECHO is campaigning for a change in the law to close a loophole that allows criminals to hide from their sentencing hearings. The campaign calls for a law to be put in place that will force killers like Cashman to appear in the dock and face the consequences of the horror they have caused.
Olivia’s brave mum Cheryl Korbel doesn’t want others to face the same injustice that she and her family suffered as Cashman hid away from facing them at his sentencing hearing. She said: "I’d support a law that would force criminals to show up for sentencing.
"We were dragged right through that court case when we didn’t need to be. If he’d owned it from the beginning, we wouldn’t have had to be there. He was in that dock right through the trial and on the last day he said ‘I’m not going up’. It’s not fair.
"Why should we go through all that and then he gets the option of not being there? It’s like a kick in the teeth. He’s just a coward – and that’s being polite. I’ve got some slight comfort from him being behind bars. But he’s still got a roof over his head, three square meals, access to gyms and this, that and the other."
Cashman shot Olivia dead at her home in Dovecot, last August. His trial heard how he “lay in wait” with two guns to attack Joseph Nee, 36.
When his intended victim ran towards the Korbels’ open front door, Cashman followed and fired. Olivia’s mum Cheryl Korbel, 46, was hit in the wrist as she tried to keep the door shut. The same bullet then hit her daughter, who was hiding behind her. Her last words were: “Mum, I’m scared.”
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