A 34-year-old man charged with Olivia Pratt-murder Korbel’s is scheduled to appear in court. Thomas Cashman is scheduled to appear in court with a second defendant, Paul Russell, 40, who is accused of assisting an offender.
Cashman is accused of murdering the nine-year-old, who was shot dead on August 22 after convicted burglar Joseph Nee was chased into her home in Didcot, Liverpool, by a gunman. He is also accused of attempting to murder Olivia’s mother, 46-year-old Cheryl Korbel, who was injured in the incident, and Nee. Russell, of Snowberry Road, West Derby, is charged with assisting an offender.
Cashman, of Grenadier Drive in West Derby, is also charged with two counts of endangering life with a firearm. So far, 11 people have been arrested in connection with Olivia’s death, with nine men previously detained as part of the extensive investigation, all of whom were later released on bail.
Olivia’s classmates have been sharing their memories of her and receiving counseling since returning to school following her death, according to her principal. The nine-year-old “oozed kindness,” according to Rebecca Wilkinson, headteacher of St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Junior School in Huyton, and will be remembered for her smile.
“We have had counselors in every class,” she said. “(The children) are devastated at the loss of their friend, they truly are, but the counseling has definitely helped and we have been so proud of the resilience the children have shown since they’ve been back.”
Olivia’s funeral was held last month at St Margaret Mary’s Church in Knotty Ash. Those attending the service wore pink ties, jackets, scarves, and bows after her family requested a “splash of pink.”
Ms. Korbel carried a pink teddy bear into the service, during which she said: “Liv touched so many people’s hearts and was loved and adored by everyone. She will never be forgotten. “I will never say goodbye but what I will say is goodnight, love you, see you in the morning.”