Man who helped Thomas Cashman cover up Olivia's murder and disposed of gunman's clothes
The man who admitted to assisting drug dealer and gunman Thomas Cashman is due to be sentenced next week. Paul Russell pleaded guilty to assisting an offender in relation to the fatal shooting of Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
A 41-year-old man has admitted to assisting an offender in relation to the brutal murder of little Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
Paul Russell pleaded guilty to assisting an offender in relation to the fatal shooting of nine-year-old Olivia.
He has since been convicted and is due for sentencing on Monday.
Russell disposed of clothing worn by the gunman Thomas Cashman and drove him away from the house the killer fled to.
He has been remanded in custody since he was charged with the offence in September, the Liverpool ECHO reports.
Thomas Cashman, 34, was found guilty of killing Olivia after chasing convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee, 36, into their home last August.
Cashman's trial at Manchester Crown Square Crown Court heard that the killer "garden hopped" to the home of Russell's partner after the incident.
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Cashman drove to the woman's house - she cannot be named for legal reasons - because he "didn't know where else to go" and "trusted" her.
The pair had previously had a sexual relationship. He called her a "woman scorned" and trying to "ruin him" after he reportedly refused to leave his longtime partner for her.
She called her boyfriend after she was woken by her bedside.
Cashmal also claimed that Russell owed him a drug debt amounting to £25,000 and that the woman was motivated to claim the £200,000 reward money issued by Crimestoppers.
While at the home, the killer told Russell "l've done Joey" in an apparent reference to Nee, the court heard.
"Lad, don’t wanna hear it, don’t tell me nothing," Russell is said to have told Cashman in response.
Thomas Cashman was found guilty of murdering Olivia
While at the home, Cashman was given navy blue pair of Russell's Under Armour tracksuit, which was later discovered in a box at his sister's home.
Also located in the box were a black and grey Under Armour T-shirt. This also belonged to Russell and contained a speck of Cashman's blood.
Tests of the Under Armour tracksuit found Cashman's DNA and gunshot residue.
Russell then drove Cashman away from the address he had fled to.
Another set of clothes were taken to Craig Byrne, an associate of Cashman's. The killer claimed he was smoking a "spliff" at Byrne's at the time of the shooting.
During the trial, the court hear Cashman had planned the murder and "lay in wait" for Nee as he came back from watching a match between Liverpool and Manchester United at a friends house.
He approached Nee from behind as he left the home with another man and shot him in the midriff.
"Please don't, don't lad," Nee begged as Cashman stood over him, but the gun malfunctioned and he managed to make his escape.
Fatefully, Cashman followed Nee fleeing to the Korbel family home.
A commotion was cause when Nee approached the home and Olivia's mum Cheryl tried to keep him out of her house.
A scared Olivia had been woken up by the noise and hid behind her mum as Cashman fired with a revolver.
She was heard screaming "Mum I'm scared!" in midst of the chaos, before a bullet passed through the door of a home, through Cheryl's hand and struck Olivia in centre of her chest.
Nee, meanwhile, stumbled out of the house before collapsing in the middle of the road. He called for help and was picked up by five men in a black car before police arrived.
"Stay with me, baby," Cheryl pleaded with her daughter. Police arrived at 10.10pm, but Olivia was tragically declared dead at Alder Hey Children's Hospital at 11.15pm.
In court, Olivia's devastated mum recalled cradling her bleeding daughter in her arms.
"I couldn’t keep her awake," she told the court.read more
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