Olivia Pratt-Korbel's mum says 'no amount of time' is enough for gang boss

Olivia Pratt-Korbel's mum has said that "no amount of time" behind bars would be sufficient for the gangland boss of her daughter's murderer.

Vincent Coggins, 58, led the notorious Huyton Firm which employed hitman Thomas Cashman, who killed Olivia, nine. The brutal gang leader evaded the authorities for 30 years before he was captured in 2020 and jailed earlier this week for 28 years.

However, Cheryl, Olivia's mum, says that no sentence could compensate for the loss of her daughter, suggesting that Olivia might still be alive if not for Coggins' gang. Speaking to the Mirror, the 48-year-old said: "No amount of years is ever going to be enough. It's taken them 30 years to find him so what does that say?

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"The violence in Liverpool might not have got as bad as it did if they had got them a hell of a lot earlier. From top to bottom of these gangs, in my eyes they are all to blame. It sickens me."

In 2022, Olivia was fatally shot when Cashman pursued drug dealer, Joseph Nee, into her family home in Dovecot. During the incident, shots were fired indiscriminately, with one bullet striking Olivia in the chest and also wounding Cheryl's hand as she tried to prevent the gunman from entering.

Coggins' gang, notorious for flooding the country with cocaine, ordered Cashman and other henchmen to carry out brutal attacks on rivals. Vincent, also known as the Headmaster, and his older brother Francis gained a fearsome reputation similar to that of fellow Liverpool drug trafficker Curtis Warren.

The Huyton Firm were eventually apprehended when the French authorities hacked the Encrochat messaging service where they had discussed their multimillion pound drug deals. This June Olivia would have celebrated her 11th birthday and enjoyed her final year of primary school.

Since her death, Cheryl has called for the "code of silence" on Merseyside to end. Earlier this month Crimestoppers announced a new initiative to help people in the area of Liverpool where Olivia died to pass information anonymously to police.

The Dovecot, Yew Tree and Huyton area has been designated as a Crimestoppers Zone - the first of its kind for the charity. Cheryl said the plans could only be a "good thing" to help end gang violence in the city.

Cashman was found guilty of Olivia's murder and jailed for 42 years last March. Vincent Coggins, of West Derby, was sentenced to 28 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and plotting blackmail on Thursday.

Seven of his accomplices were also jailed but his older brother Francis remains at large.

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