Thomas Cashman: Olivia killer loses bid to fight jail sentence

Thomas Cashman was sentenced to a minimum of 42 years for murder

The gunman who shot dead nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool has been refused permission to appeal against his sentence.

The schoolgirl was caught in the crossfire when gun-wielding Thomas Cashman, 34, chased a fellow drug dealer into her home August 2022.

He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 42 years for her murder.

The Court of Appeal said Cashman's application for leave to appeal against sentence had been refused.

It was rejected by a judge without a hearing, Court of Appeal staff confirmed.

This means Cashman is still able to renew his bid for permission to appeal at a full court hearing.

The Court of Appeal had previously confirmed Cashman's legal team planned to argue his sentence was too harsh and he should serve less time before parole.

An separate application to refer Cashman's sentence to the court under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme has previously been thrown out.

The bullet that killed Olivia was fired through the front door of her home

His trial heard how Cashman "lay in wait" with two guns to attack Joseph Nee, 36, on the evening of 22 August in Dovecot, Liverpool.

Fleeing the gunfire, Nee ran towards the open door of Olivia's home after her mother Cheryl Korbel went out to see what the noise was.

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Cashman continued shooting and a bullet went through the door and Ms Korbel's hand, before hitting Olivia in the chest.

He was branded a "coward" for his refusal to come into court for the hearing.

It has prompted calls for a change in the law to force criminals to attend their sentence hearing or face extra years in jail.

Caught in the Crossfire

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