Olivia’s killer Cashman ‘had phone in cell’
CHILD killerthomas Cashman is being investigated after a phone was allegedly found in his cell while he awaited trial for the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-korbel.
Cashman, who is serving a minimum term of 42 years after being sentenced this month, is accused of having a mobile at Strangeways Prison, near Manchester.
The date it is claimed it was found has not been released.
An underworld source said: “Cashman was caught with a phone in his cell. I was told it was an iphone 13 and he also had a cheap £10 phone.”
Cashman is now in the Category A part of the notorious jail known as “the Unit”.
Officials confirmed the seizure but spoke of one phone being recovered. A Prison Service spokeswoman said: “This
incident has been referred to the police and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.we have invested £125million in tougher security measures, including X-ray body scanners, that have intercepted over 20,000 attempts to smuggle contraband behind bars in the past two years.”
A Greater Manchester Police source said: “Merseyside Police is currently looking at this. If there is any suggestion Cashman is contacting witnesses it would be investigated.”
Olivia was killed and her mother injured when Cashman fired into their home. His target was convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee, 35, who had run into the property last August.
Cashman was found guilty at Manchester Crown Court of Olivia’s murder, the attempted murder of Nee, of wounding Olivia’s mother Cheryl Korbel and of possessing firearms with intent to endanger life.
Cashman is understood to have been hired to kill Nee by a Merseyside crime group.
On Wednesday Paul Russell, 41, was jailed for 22 months for assisting Cashman.
He pleaded guilty after driving Cashman back to his van after the killing and disposing of a bag of his clothes.