The case had horrified the United Kingdom and alerted to gang violence: the murderer of a 9-year-old boy, killed by a stray bullet in his home where a drug trafficker had taken refuge, was sentenced this Monday to life imprisonment by British justice .
After a 19-day trial in a Manchester court, Thomas Cashman, 34, was found guilty last week of the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel on August 22.
His mother had opened the door of the house in Liverpool, in the north of England, after hearing a noise in the street. Then one man had swallowed, followed by a second, which she had shot indiscriminately.
A crime that shocked “the whole nation”
One bullet first struck the 46-year-old mother in the hand, before hitting the girl behind her in the chest.
His death, in the city’s third fatal shooting in the space of a week to that time, has rocked the country and sparked calls to step up the fight against organized crime, with police warning of the feared automatic weapons increasingly used by The gang.
“The murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel is a crime that has shocked not only the city of Liverpool, but the entire nation,” Judge Amanda Yip said.
“Olivia’s name will certainly be remembered for many years to come,” he added.
Thomas Cashman, whose sentence is accompanied by a 42-year security period, admitted during his trial to being a cannabis dealer but denied being the shooter. He was not present for his sentencing, refusing to go to court.
“I miss her voice so much…”
The trial was marked by the decisive testimony of a woman, who had had an affair with the defendant. She said that Thomas Cashman had taken refuge in her house after the fact and had heard him say that he had “made Joey”, which helped confuse him.
According to police testimony reported by the Sunday Times, this woman has since received numerous death threats and may now have to live under police protection. During the trial, she said she didn’t know what “her life would hold in the coming years.”
Before the judge announced the sentence, Olivia’s mother, Cheryl Korbel, read a statement in court. “I miss her voice so much…I would give anything to be able to talk to her again,” she said. “I can’t even imagine rebuilding our lives without her.”
Source: BFM TV
