Olivia Pratt-Korbel murder has not changed how people feel about speaking to police, youth worker says

The murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbell has not “completely changed” how people in Liverpool feel about speaking to the police, a youth worker has said.

Thomas Cashman was convicted of the nine-year-old's murder on Thursday following an 18 day trial at Manchester Crown Court.

He was convicted after a woman he had been having an affair with came forward and told jurors she heard the 34-year-old confess to the shooting.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, Alan Walsh, who founded the Real Men Don't Carry Knives charity, said: “I honestly believe there are levels where people will talk to police. And that case was at a level where everyone realised what was right and wrong and people had to share information at that time.

“But I'm not going to sit here and say it has changed peoples minds completely because it hasn't.

“There's still going to be an acceptance of what you can tell and what you can't tell and that's something we are always working on to break that down.”

Mr Walsh, who also runs a boxing gym in Merseyside, said that in the immediate aftermath of Olivia’s murder there seemed to be a change in young people’s mindsets.

He added: “It was strange how many young people were talking about the case

“For the first time I think young people said the grass culture needs to go. A young girl has been killed.

“It was an eerie sort of time because we were hearing strange things coming from young people's mouths that people need to be told who's done this.”

Olivia was shot through the chest by Cashman who “ruthlessly and relentlessly” pursued another man, Joseph Nee, a convicted burglar, into her house in Knotty Ash, Liverpool on 22 August 2022.

Cashman, a violent drug dealer, had been determined to take out Nee, after a feud erupted between rival Merseyside gangs.

Outside of Manchester Crown Court Olivia’s mum, Cheryl Korbel, said she was "ecstatic” that Cashman had been found guilty.

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, of Merseyside Police, described Olivia’s killer as a "despicable coward".

Cashman is due to be sentenced on Monday.