Olivia’s killer ‘to die behind bars’
THE KILLER of nine-year-old Olivia Prattkorbel may never be released because the underworld’s disgust at his crime will encourage gangsters to inform against him, sources insist.
Thomas Cashman, who will receive a life sentence tomorrow, has little information to trade with police because most of the crime syndicate he was involved with are already behind bars.
A more likely outcome is that gangland members will turn on him – handing police information that could see him investigated for more offences, one source said.
Cashman could have been involved in at least three unsolved gangland murders in the Liverpool area from 2010 to 2016, according to several sources.
In 2013 he was arrested as a suspect during the investigation of one of the unsolved cases, the execution of Karl Bradley. He was never charged but his name was also “in the mix” for two other killings.
All three victims were shot at close range near to their homes. Cashman, 34, was not charged with any of the murders.
He was so notorious in the area as a suspected hitman that within days of Olivia’s murder he was named in a Youtube podcast as chief suspect, leading to Merseyside Police writing a cease and desist letter to the Youtuber, who then removed the video.
Cashman was found guilty of Olivia’s murder, the attempted murder of Joseph Nee, 35, of wounding Olivia’s mum Cheryl Korbel and of possessing firearms with intent to endanger life. He will be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court tomorrow.
Olivia was killed and her mum injured as Cashman fired into their home after Nee ran into it on August 22 last year.
Cashman is understood to have been hired to kill Nee by a Merseyside-based top-tier crime group with international connections and involved in class A drug importation and supply. They suspected Nee was involved in a plot to steal a shipment of their drugs.
There has been speculation that Cashman could try to offer information on those above him in the crime group in order to secure a release at some stage in his latter years.
One gangland source said: “The problem with that theory is that most of the top men in that firm based in Liverpool are in custody, facing trial on a major drug job. There’s not a lot Cashman could tell police about them they don’t already know.
“The others are in Dubai and Spain, so he won’t have much on them.
“The police won’t have much appetite for
a deal with him anyway, because of what he has done.”
Another underworld source from Merseyside said that Cashman is seen as a “rat” for killing a little girl.
“He didn’t mean to do it but once you’re a child killer, that’s it. He should have just told the truth,” he said.
Another source said: “It is more likely that now he is banged up for good, people will be grassing on him, not the other way round. There’s a few other murders they say he is connected to and they will be less scared to give him up.”
The force was asked if it will be reviewing any of the murders following Cashman’s conviction. A spokeswoman said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on specific cases and murders which are undetected.
“However, our serious case review unit regularly reviews unsolved homicides to identify new information or opportunities that may assist the investigation in identifying those responsible.”
It is feared there could be more gang
violence across the city due to a power vacuum left by the removal of many of the group aligned with Cashman.
After a period of relative calm, five gun murders – including Olivia’s – happened in five months from August.
Two weapons were seized during raids in Liverpool last month.
Licensed owners have been urged to improve how guns are secured and stored, as it is feared burglaries are one way firearms are getting into criminal’s hands.
A review of licensed gun holders across the north-west region carried out by Merseyside Police found 200 guns were stolen in the past three years. The findings have been shared with the National Crime Agency and forces across the country.
There are also fears that the war in Ukraine could lead to more firearms on Britain’s streets.
Paul James, who founded the National Ballistics Intelligence Service, said the Balkans conflict had historically been a main source of guns being trafficked into Europe and on to the UK.
The current fighting in Ukraine could be an even larger threat, he said.
“The risk from Ukraine is equally as big, if not bigger, because of the number of weapons that are actually being issued and probably not being registered, so I do think there is a real risk.”
‘People will grass on him’