Brave ex partner turned 'supergrass' and brought Thomas Cashman to justice trends now
Thomas Cashman's ex-lover who turned 'supergrass' was a key breakthrough in bringing him to justice – with detectives today hailing her 'incredible bravery' in coming forward.
In the days after Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot, Merseyside Police's Chief Constable Serena Kennedy urged 'members of the criminal fraternity' to 'examine their consciences' and identify her killer.
Appealing to Liverpudlians to rise against the city's reputation for an 'anti-grass' culture, she said the killing of a nine-year-old child in her own home 'crosses every single boundary'.
But while people living in Olivia's neighbourhood agreed to hand over crucial CCTV and Ring doorbell footage showing the gunman before and after the shooting, the breakthrough was to come from an unexpected source.
A woman with whom Cashman had been cheating on the mother of his two children revealed he had tried to take refuge in her home moments after his bid to kill Joseph Nee went so horribly wrong.
Olivia Pratt-Korbel (pictured) died after being shot in the chest at her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on August 22, last year
Thomas Cashman, pictured here in his police mugshot, was found guilty of her murder and injuring her mother
After being given lifelong anonymity, she agreed to testify in court as to how he had demanded a change of clothes – and how she overheard him saying he had 'done Joey' and that it had 'all gone wrong'.
Her combative response to being quizzed about intimate details of her fling with Cashman by his barrister, John Cooper KC, proved a pivotal part of the murder trial.
Standing her ground in the face of claims that she was a woman 'scorned', she said: 'When there's a little girl involved, there's no grassing.'
The judge, Mrs Justice Yip, repeatedly had to halt proceedings as the exchanges became increasingly ill-tempered.
But ultimately jurors preferred her account to that of Cashman – whose alibi was that he was counting drug money and smoking a 'spliff' with a friend who conspicuously failed to give evidence in his defence.
For her bravery, the woman is now understood to be living under witness protection, and may never be able to return to Merseyside.
Following Cashman's conviction for Olivia's murder, the senior investigating officer in the case hailed her 'incredible bravery'.
'Without witnesses, there's no justice,' Detective Superintendent Mark Baker said today.
'She has stood up for what is right - justice.
'As she has said, there is no such thing as a grass when it involves a nine-year-old child.
'Her evidence was powerful, emotional. But most importantly, she spoke the truth. She should be proud of herself.
'Her testimony has helped bring
