Thomas Cashman: who is convicted killer of Olivia Pratt-Korbel - what is his criminal background?

A man who described himself as a "high-level cannabis dealer" has been found guilty of the murder of nine-year-old girl Olivia Pratt-Kobel.

Thomas Cashman was found guilty after fatally shooting the young girl in Knotty Ash, Liverpool last summer. Her mother was also wounded in the shooting after he entered their house while chasing another man.

The 34-year-old was found guilty after the jury, consisting of ten men and two women, took nine hours and three minutes to deliberate. Cashman's family were heard shouting in the court following the verdict being announced that they would appeal the conviction.

The trial saw Cashman outed as a feared drug dealer in his local community. He was also facing accusations that he was attempting to kill a rival drug dealer when he wounded and killed Olivia.

Here's everything you need to know about the gunman.

What is Thomas Cashman’s criminal background? 

Cashman is a father-of-two from West Derby, Liverpool. He lived on a housing estate located less than a mile away from where Olivia was shot and killed in her home.

He told the Manchester Crown Court during the trial that he was a “high-level cannabis dealer”, supplying the drug locally. Cashman told the court that he made between £3,000 and £5,000 per week supplying between five to 10 kilos of the drug to his local “catchment area” in Dovecot.

A  key witness during the trial added that Cashman did not deal in “poxy” amounts of the drug. They said that many people in the local area were heavily in debt to him, with reports that he used fear and intimidation to demand payments. 

Cashman revealed to the court that when he supplied to his local area in Dovecot, he would often retrieve the drugs to sell on or take to a “stash house” from his sister’s home. He added that this caused tension with his sister’s partner, who was previously a police officer, saying: "He didn't like it and he got on my sister over it and they were having arguments between each other about me always being there.”

When he entered the family’s household and fatally shot the nine-year-old on 22 August 2022, he was said to have been chasing convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee in an “botched” attempt to kill the rival drug dealer. Cashman told the jury that he knew Nee but had no issue with him or his brothers. 

However, the jury heard that Cashman had been waiting for Nee at around 10pm on the night of the shooting. He shot at him, wounding him but he failed to harm him any further after his gun jammed.

Nee fled the scene and towards Ms Kobel's property, as the door was open at the time. Ms Kobel attempted to push against the door to stop either Nee or Cashman from entering the property, however a bullet from Cashman's gun penetrated the door and the mother's hand before hitting young Olivia in the chest.

Cashman fled the scene. He escaped running across the back gardens of the properties on the street.

What happened during the trial?

He denied claims made during the trial that he had been “scoping” out the Nee residence the day before the shooting. He told the court that he was at the home to look at a new car owned by one of Joseph's brothers. 

A woman with whom Cashman had been having a “fling” with also testified during the trial, telling the jury that she had overheard her lover saying that he had “done Joey” when he arrived at her home after the shooting occurred. Cashman told the jury that the woman’s boyfriend owed him £25,000, with the woman threatening to tell his partner of their “fling” after he refused to leave his family and start a new life in Spain. 

It was his former partner’s testimony that gave police confidence that they could prosecute Cashman. Due to his reputation in his local area, detectives worried that they would not be able to collect testimony from anyone out of fear they would be targeted. 

The key witness, who cannot be named, said that she was “petrified” and “terrified” of him. However she added: "When there's a little girl involved, there's no form of grassing in my world.”

Further witnesses provided evidence to the police after Cashman was initially arrested. Police praised the woman for coming forward. Senior prosecutor Maria Corr said: "If someone is like that, would you come forward? Thankfully, we had a witness who had the courage of her convictions and wanted justice and she was very, very, brave."

Cashman was found guilty on five counts including the murder of Olivia, the attempted murder of Nee, wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm to Olivia’s mother Cheryl Korbel, and two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. He will be sentenced on Monday 3 April.

Who is Joseph Nee?

Nee is a convicted drug dealer and burglar from Dovecot, Liverpool. He was most recently convicted in July 2018 of two counts of burglary, two counts of theft of a motor vehicle, danger driving, driving without insurance and driving while disqualified.

He was handed a 45 months jail sentence after admitting to the crimes. The 35-year-old was temporarily released from prison on licence in 2022.

Police said after the shooting that Nee was re-arrested after allegedly breaching the terms of his release with "poor behaviour". He will serve the remainder of his sentence behind bars.

Prior to his 2018 conviction, Nee was jailed for six-and-a-half years in 2009 after being found guilty of drug offences. He was described as a "lower level player" in a drug trafficking ring during the trial.