Mother of Olivia issues powerful gun crime plea

Eleanor Barlow, The Independent

The mother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, tragically murdered almost three years ago, has issued a powerful plea for communities to speak out against gun crime. Olivia was fatally shot by gunman Thomas Cashman on 22 August 2022, when he pursued another drug dealer into her home in Dovecot, Liverpool. Her death marked the third fatal shooting in Merseyside within a single week. Just the day before, 28-year-old Ashley Dale was killed in her Old Swan, Liverpool, home, following the death of 22-year-old Sam Rimmer in Dingle on 16 August.

Speaking ahead of the third anniversary of her death, Olivia's mother Cheryl Korbel said: "My little girl was only nine years old when she was shot in her own home. She had her whole life ahead of her and the pain of her loss is indescribable. "It has been three years since I last heard her laugh, put her to bed or held her hand but the pain of her loss still feels like it happened yesterday. "I will never see her grow up, get married, have children of her own or fulfil her dreams and that is devastating." In the wake of the three murders, Merseyside Police received Home Office funding for a Clear, Hold, Build operation, known locally as Evolve, designed to clear communities of crime and rebuild them.

Ms Korbel said: "Evolve was created to help prevent further tragedies and other families from having to endure the pain we feel every single day. "While it's making a difference we need your help. To keep our communities safest, if you know anything about criminality, please speak out." Last week, Ms Korbel was at Olivia's Tree — planted in her memory in Dovecot — to meet partners from the Evolve programme as well as Tim Edwards, whose daughter Elle Edwards, 26, died in a shooting outside a pub on the Wirral on Christmas Eve 2022. Mr Edwards said the families had got to know each other since the tragedies.

He said: "It's the club that you don't want to be in and we're all in that club, so we're always looking out for each other." He said the Evolve programme, which was set up in Wirral after Elle's death, gave him hope. He added: "Elle should still be here, living her life and making plans for her future. We can't change what happened to her but we can help stop it from happening to someone else. "If you know something, please come forward. Your courage could save a life and spare another family the pain we live with every day."

Ms Dale's mother Julie said the last three years had been a "living nightmare". Four men — James Witham, Niall Barry, Sean Zeisz and Joseph Peers — were convicted of the environmental health worker's murder. She said: "We count ourselves one of the 'lucky' ones as we have been able to get justice for Ashley. "Without the support of the community, who knows what position we would be in now?

"Sadly, there are families who are still waiting for their justice knowing that their loved one's killers are still out there walking our streets.

"No parent should have to go through this. Losing a child in such an horrific way and knowing that someone knows who has committed these crimes is just unbearable.

"So I appeal to anyone who may have information that could help give the families the justice they deserve and help ease the lifelong pain they are facing to come forward to police or Crimestoppers." No one has been charged in connection with the death of Mr Rimmer, who was with friends when shots were fired at them by people on electric bikes. His mother, Jo Rimmer, appealed for anyone who knew who his killers were to come forward. She said: "If you know something and you are reading this, please, please speak up.

"No one will ever know as it will be completely anonymous.

"Sam was shot in his back. He was turned away from his killers. This image haunts me. In his final moments, was he scared? Was he in pain?

"I died the day Sam did. I function but I do not live. I know the pain of losing Sam will never go but if I see justice for his murder, maybe the family and I can begin to move forward and remember the happy memories of Sam."