Olivia Pratt-Korbel: I want violence to stop, murdered girl's mum says

Olivia was murdered by Thomas Cashman as he chased a fellow drug dealer into her home

The mother of murdered schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel has said she wants to help steer young people away from guns and gangs.

Cheryl Korbel, whose daughter was shot by Thomas Cashman as he chased a drug dealer into her home, told the Sunday Mirror she wanted "violence to stop".

"We need to get rid of the gangs [and] give kids opportunities," she said.

She also said she wanted to create a memorial and support a campaign to force criminals to attend sentencings.

Ms Korbel told the newspaper she wanted police, charities and the local community to work together on violent crime in the hope it would stop other families from going through what she had.

"I want the guns to come off the streets and the violence to lessen, if not stop all together," she said.

"We need to get rid of the gangs.

"Police, communities and charities need to get involved with kids more.

"We need to give kids opportunities."

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Olivia was fatally shot by Cashman as he chased a fellow drug dealer into her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on the evening of 22 August 2022.

He also injured Ms Korbel as she tried to stop the two men, who the family did not know, from entering the house.

The 34-year-old, who was jailed for life and ordered to serve at least 42 years, refused to enter the dock for his sentencing hearing on Monday, a move which the judge said was "disrespectful" to Olivia's family.

She said as a result of what she went through, she would "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," she said.

"If he'd owned it from the beginning, we wouldn't have had to be there.

"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."

The Ministry of Justice has previously said that as a result of cases like Cashman's and that of Jordan McSweeney, who murdered law graduate Zara Aleena, it was looking into changing the law to force offenders "to face the consequences of their actions".

Ms Korbel also told the newspaper she wanted to create a memorial garden to her daughter, which would provide a "safe space" in which children could play and be taught not to "go down the wrong path" in life.

She said she would "bring a sunflower" to the memorial since it was "one of Liv's favourite flowers because it was so bright and big".

"I'd like to sit on a bench and just reflect on what we had and what we don't have any more," she said.

"What I should be doing with Liv, I'll now have to do with my nieces."

She added that the garden would "give the kids in this area somewhere to play, which they desperately need".

"I've also thought of having an area for bedding plants and stuff," she said.

"It's about teaching kids to look after things and apply themselves.

"Kids will come to the park and then tell their friends: 'Come down the garden - I did this'."

The Drug Wars that Killed Olivia

BBC Panorama investigates how Liverpool came to dominate the UK drug market and how organised crime brought death to Olivia Pratt-Korbel's door.

Watch now on BBC iPlayer (UK Only)