The family of Olivia Pratt-Korbel have released touching videos of the murdered nine-year-old laughing and playing, after her killer was sentenced to life in prison.
Olivia, described by her mother in court on Monday as “the light of our lives, a sassy, chatty girl who never ran out of energy”, can be seen pretending to strut on a catwalk in her living room in one clip.
Another video shows her laughing as she plays with a vacuum cleaner, using it to suck up her ponytail before falling about in fits of laughter.
The clips were released on Tuesday, the day after Thomas Cashman was sentenced to a minimum of 42 years behind bars for fatally shooting Olivia as he tried to murder fellow drug dealer Joseph Nee, who fled into the 9-year-old’s home in Liverpool to escape the attempt on his life.
As Olivia’s mother – who had opened her front door to check the commotion outside – attempted to keep an already wounded Nee out of their home, Cashman dispensed another bullet, which passed through her wrist and fatally hit her daughter, who had come downstairs in fear, in the chest.
The 34-year-old killer was described by Merseyside Police chief Serena Kennedy as “a coward, despicable”, who decided “to play out a petty dispute using guns on the streets of Merseyside”.
At his sentencing on Monday – which Cashman refused to attend, instead remaining in his cell – Mrs Justice Yip said the murder had “shocked not only the city of Liverpool but the nation”, adding: “Olivia’s name is likely to be remembered for many years. She should not be remembered only for her dreadful last moments.
“Her family have spoken of Olivia in life and of the hopes and dreams for her future, which were so cruelly snatched away,” the judge continued. “It is plain that Olivia was a lovely little girl, who cared for others and brightened the lives of her family and friends.”
The judge criticised Cashman’s “disrespectful” non-attendance in court, saying in her sentencing remarks that Cashman “has not acknowledged his responsibility for Olivia’s death and so has demonstrated no remorse”.
His absence has increased pressure on the government to act so that killers are forced to face their victims’ families in sentencing hearings, after the murderer of 35-year-old Zara Aleena also failed to attend in December.
Justice secretary Dominic Raab has committed to changing the law, possibly by giving judges the power to impose longer terms on those who refuse to appear.
“Spineless criminals like Cashman who hide from their sentencing prolong the suffering of victims and their families,” Mr Raab said on Tuesday.
“As I have already made clear, I plan to change the law to compel offenders to face up to their actions, so victims can see the justice they deserve being served.”
