Olivia's mother 'ecstatic' as Cashman guilty of murder

1. Thomas Cashman has been found guilty of murdering nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool last August
2. There were gasps and tears from Olivia's family - dressed in pink in her memory - as the verdict was delivered
3. The family of Thomas Cashman were ushered out of court by police after loudly protesting his innocence
4. Olivia was shot in the chest after Cashman chased Joseph Nee into her mother's home
5. The men - who were not known to mother or daughter - forced their way into the house after mother Cheryl Korbel heard noises on the street and opened her front door
6. Cashman was also found guilty of the attempted murder of Nee and three other counts
7. The prosecution described the case as one "that shocked not simply a city... but also a nation"

'Petrified' woman overcame her fear for justice for Olivia

Lynette Horsburgh and Ian Shoesmith

A woman who Thomas Cashman turned to after the botched "execution" which led to Olivia's death was key to his conviction.

The witness, who had a fling with the drug dealer, said Cashman had gone to her home and changed his clothing on the night of the girl's murder.

She also told the jury she heard him say he had "done Joey".

The witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, went to police two days after the fatal shooting.

She told detectives that while she was "petrified" of Cashman, "this is a nine-year-old child, I want her family to get justice".

Read more here.

Merseyside Police

Thomas Cashman had denied being the gunman who shot Olivia

Man to be sentenced for assisting Cashman after shooting

A man has previously admitted assisting an offender following the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, it can now be reported.

Paul Russell, 41, admitted driving Thomas Cashman away from a house which he fled to after the fatal shooting in Dovecot, Liverpool, and disposed of his clothes.

Helen Tipper

Paul Russell will be sentenced with Thomas Cashman

Russell, of Snowberry Road, Liverpool, admitted the offence at a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court last October, but the media was prevented from reporting his plea until the conclusion of Cashman's trial.

He will be sentenced with Cashman on Monday.

CCTV, a tracksuit, and a fling: The evidence used in court

Merseyside Police

Cables from a missing CCTV recorder were found by police at Thomas Cashman's home

Let's recap what evidence was used to convict Thomas Cashman:

• Police said a search of an exterior electric cupboard at Cashman’s home showed a range of CCTV recorders had been in use, and that one had last connected on 25 August – days after the shooting. But no CCTV recorders were recovered by police during the investigation
• The court was also shown CCTV footage which the prosecution said showed the gunman wearing a pair of tracksuit bottoms which matched the style and design of those worn by Cashman
• Jurors also heard from a woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who had a brief relationship with father-of-two Cashman. She alleged Cashman went to her house after the shooting, where she said he changed his clothes and she heard him saying he had "done Joey". Cashman said in court that the woman "is trying to ruin my life because, for one thing, I won’t leave my partner for her"

PA Media

Tracksuit bottoms of the type worn by the gunman in the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel

Cashman's sister ushered out of court after shouting

Thomas Cashman's family, including his sister, left the courtroom shouting, swearing and protesting his innocence following his conviction.

She claimed others were responsible for Olivia's murder, not her brother, as she was ushered out of the building by police officers and court security.

A sense of history repeating itself

Judith Moritz

North of England correspondent, at Manchester Crown Court

Family handout

Olivia's murder made national headlines.

A child gunned down inside her own home, where she should have been safest.

The case is considered a real low.

But it's not a new low for Liverpool. Eerily, exactly 15 years before to the very day, 11-year-old Rhys Jones was fatally shot by a stray bullet.

Olivia's murder carried the sense of history repeating itself. Maybe that's why it provoked such a strong reaction within the local community.

Detectives say that information flowed into their incident room in a volume they haven't experienced before.

And even some of those who might have been expected to put up a wall of silence spoke out. Criminals talked about "a line having been crossed".

But the police also say that community confidence increased after Thomas Cashman was arrested. In the days after the shooting he was still in the area, intimidating people, and causing enough fear to prevent some from co-operating.

Once he was arrested and charged, detectives noticed an upsurge in witnesses prepared to give both statements and footage to the investigation.

'Horrendous… like a movie' - mum describes the shooting

PA Media

Cheryl Korbel was shot in the wrist by Thomas Cashman

Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s mum previously described the "horrendous" sound of the gun shot which killed her daughter in a video played to the court.

Cheryl Korbel cried as she told officers she “knew she had gone".

"[It was] horrendous. Horrendous... It was like off a movie,” she said.

"The sounds that they make... it was the sound of it going through my wrist as well. It's hard to explain the sound."

She said she did not realise Olivia had been hit at first and only discovered it as she tried to carry her away from the scene.

"She was gasping for breath," she said.

"I was screaming for her to stay with me. There was blood everywhere. I kept saying it was mine... but I knew it was not right.

"So I lifted her top, then that's when I realised she had been shot in the chest.

"I was just screaming, 'Please Liv, stay with me'."

Gasps from Olivia's family as verdict delivered

Judith Moritz

North of England correspondent, at Manchester Crown Court

There were gasps and sobs from Olivia’s family when the verdict was given in court.

They are all wearing pink in her memory, with Olivia's mum Cheryl clasping a children’s toy.

Meanwhile, Cashman’s family shouted "we'll appeal it" as the jury delivered the guilty verdict.

Cashman to be sentenced next week

BBC

After the verdict, Judge Mrs Justice Yip thanked the members of the jury for their diligent work on the case and said Thomas Cashman will be sentenced next week on Monday 3 April.

What happened to Olivia Pratt-Korbel?

Thomas Cashman, 34, has just been found guilty of murdering nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in her home in Dovecot, Liverpool last year. Here’s a reminder of what unfolded:

• Olivia was fatally shot as her mother, Cheryl Korbel, tried to stop a gunman entering their house on 22 August
• He had been chasing Joseph Nee, who is said to have been the intended target, through the street
• In a police interview, Korbel said she had heard bangs outside her home. When she went outside to look, she saw a man coming up the road
• She closed her front door but it did not shut properly because it was left on the catch
• Korbel was shot in the wrist as she tried to shut the door to stop two men entering
• Olivia, who was behind Korbel, was shot in the chest
• Cashman fired two more times, hitting Nee in his upper body, before fleeing the scene
• Korbel told investigators a neighbour started CPR on Olivia before police turned up and removed her from the house
• Korbel was then taken to hospital for treatment. She said while she was there, she was told Olivia "had gone”

BreakingCashman guilty of murdering Olivia Pratt-Korbel

Family handout

Welcome to our live coverage of the Olivia Pratt-Korbel trial. Thomas Cashman, 34, has just been found guilty of murdering the nine-year-old at her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, last August.

Cashman shot Olivia and injured her mother, Cheryl Korbel, after chasing Joseph Nee, a convicted drug dealer, into their house.

A jury also found Cashman guilty of attempting to murder Nee, wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm to Olivia’s mother, and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Stay with us as we bring you the latest reaction and developments.