15 November 2023 , 16:38
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The mum of murdered schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel blasted her killer’s bid to have his sentence reduced as “disgusting” after he bemoaned he would be an old man once released from jail.
Shameless Thomas Cashman, 35, today had an application to appeal his minimum 42-year-sentence refused by three judges in London.
And it emerged after the hearing that the drug dealer will also seek to appeal his conviction for the murder of Olivia, nine. A court official confirmed it had received the conviction application in July and that it was yet to go before a single judge - the first step in the process when seeking leave to appeal.
Cheryl said her 'sassy little princess' has touched the community (PA)
Olivia was fatally shot in the chest at her home in Liverpool (PA)Olivia was killed after Cashman opened fire as he chased fellow drug dealer Joseph Nee into her home in Liverpool in August 2022. Nee ran into the girl's home in a bid to escape when Cashman opened fire, hitting Olivia's mother Cheryl Korbel in the wrist as she tried to keep the door shut on Nee, with the same bullet killing her daughter.
Cheryl, 47, told the Mirror today: "I thought it (the hearing) was laughable. I knew what to expect, they're just clutching at straws and unfortunately they have no straws left to grab onto now.
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"The fact he is still doing this is horrible, it's disgusting. It was mentioned (at the hearing today/ yesterday - Weds) that he had remorse, I'd like to know where that remorse was because there wasn't an inch of remorse from him at all.
"They admit that he was chasing Joseph Nee, so if that's not owning up to it I don't know what is. How can they go for an appeal against his conviction on those grounds? There was that slither of doubt, but when I heard it [the application] was refused I thought thank god for that."
Cashman was given a 42-year minimum jail term (PA)Today's hearing saw three judges from the Court of Appeal turn down Cashman’s bid to appeal the minimum duration of his life sentence, having been refused by a single judge in July. Cashman, who was not at the hearing, moaned he would be well into his 70s by the time he would be allowed some kind of freedom
John Cooper KC argued that, beyond the statutory 30-year sentence for crimes of this nature, the additional 12 years was excessive. He said the intended murder of Nee was not excessively planned, that mitigation in the initial trial was not fully taken into account and that Cashman would be well into his 70s by the time he could be freed on licence.
He also argued that little Olivia was not the intended target. But Dame Victoria Sharp, Mrs Justice McGowan and Mr Justice Chamberlain threw his application out.
Flowers are left near to the scene of the shooting in Knotty Ash, Liverpool (PA)Dame Victoria said: “You cannot sensibly argue that the sentencing was excessive. The sentence imposed by the judge was a long one and means (Cashman) will be well into his 70s before he can be released on licence.
“But that is a consequence of his actions. He invaded the home of a family. He then murdered, by shooting, Olivia Pratt-Korbel, a little girl of nine, and seriously injured her mother.” She said her family has been left with a “lifelong” sentence of loss.
There was no remorse,” Dame Victoria added. “The application for leave to appeal sentence is refused.”
Spineless Cashman, who refused to appear at his sentencing hearing earlier this year, was also convicted of the attempted murder of Nee, the wounding of Cheryl with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, namely a 9mm calibre self-loading pistol and a 0.3 calibre revolver