This is the moment police arrested killer Thomas Cashman over the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
Cashman was today convicted of shooting the nine-year-old dead and wounding her mum Cheryl after chasing convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee, 36, into their home last August.
Along with Olivia's murder, today he was convicted of the attempted murder of Nee, wounding Cheryl with intent to cause GBH and possessing two handguns with intent to endanger life. Cashman's associate Paul Russell was convicted of assisting an offender.
During the trial, the jury heard of the little girl's final moments and how the family's home erupted into chaos after Nee barrelled into their home fleeing the gunman.
In bodycam footage from the moment of his arrest, police can be seen and heard surrounding Cashman, who shouts and protests he's done nothing wrong.
In a chaotic few moments, he is eventually pinned to the ground and detained.
Image:
PA)The senseless violence rocked the community as the family's world was flipped upside down.
After deliberating for eight hours, the jury of 10 men and two women found Cashman guilty after listening to evidence for nearly four weeks.
Olivia’s mother Cheryl Korbel, wearing a pink cardigan and holding a teddy bear, sat with her children Chloe and Ryan in the court. Her family was seen crying when the verdicts were read out.
Cashman was shaking his head as the verdict was read out. His relatives, including his sister, left the courtroom shouting, swearing and protesting his innocence.
She claimed others were responsible for Olivia’s murder, not her brother, as she was ushered out of the court building by police officers and court security.
The jury delivered a unanimous verdict of guilty on all counts.
Following the conviction of Thomas Cashman, senior crown prosecutor Maria Corr, of CPS Mersey Cheshire’s Complex Casework Unit, said: “This has been a truly tragic case and one of the most complex I have had to deal with in my 32 years with the Crown Prosecution Service.
Image:
PA)Image:
PA)“At the heart of it is a nine-year-old girl who has lost her life. Olivia Pratt-Korbel was in her own home, with her family, where she should have been safe.
“By contrast, Thomas Cashman is a ruthless criminal who recklessly pursued another man, with no consideration of the consequences. He was intent on violence that night, arming himself with two loaded guns.
“He refused to display any guilt or remorse, denying his involvement throughout and putting Olivia’s family through the torment of a lengthy trial.”
Image:
PA)In a ruling which could not be reported until the conclusion of the trial, Mrs Justice Yip responded to legal arguments made at Manchester Crown Court during private sessions in which the defendant’s legal team set out the evidence they wanted to elicit in the case.
This included that there was a “background of hostility” between Nee's family and another family, the Hickmans, and that Nee had been shot at two weeks before the incident in which Olivia was killed.
