Olivia Pratt-Korbel: Brother recalls fight to save sister

The member of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel has described proceeding her accidental "I'm scared" earlier she was shot.

Thomas Cashman, 34, is accused of fatally shooting Olivia and injuring her mother, Cheryl Korbel, 46, astatine their location successful Liverpool connected 22 August.

In a video interrogation played to the assemblage astatine Manchester Crown Court, Ryan Korbel recalled however his parent enactment "Liv successful my arms" but helium "knew it was over".

Mr Cashman, who is connected trial, denies being the gunman.

The tribunal heard however the gunman opened occurrence aft chasing Joseph Nee, who is said to beryllium the intended people of the attack, into their house.

Mr Korbel said helium had been successful his country erstwhile helium heard 3 large bangs.

He said: "The adjacent happening I heard was footsteps crossed the landing.

"It was Olivia, she was moving downstairs screaming: 'Mum, I'm scared'."

A constabulary serviceman asked Mr Korbel if helium knew what Olivia was frightened of.

He said: "No, she virtually said 'I'm frightened mummy, I'm scared'.

"Then I heard her footsteps.

"Downstairs she said it different 2 times, 'I'm scared, I'm scared' and past everything other conscionable kicked off."

Mr Korbel said helium went to the landing and saw Olivia 4 oregon 5 steps up from the bottommost of the staircase, a antheral lying connected the level and his parent "wrestling" with the door.

He said his parent and Mr Nee past managed to unopen the door.

"The door's burst backmost unfastened but my mum's down it.

"An arm's travel circular the doorway with a achromatic handgun and different shot's gone off, it could beryllium two, I can't remember.

"Olivia was successful hysterics, my mum was successful hysterics, my 18-year-old sister was successful hysterics, we each were."

Asked to picture the limb helium saw astir the door, Mr Korbel said: "All I seen was an arm, a manus and a gun."

He told officers that Mr Nee was sitting connected the doorstep and past went outside, wherever helium followed and was "screaming abuse".

He said: "I didn't cognize my sister had been deed astatine this point.

"He collapsed successful the mediate of the road."

He said helium went backmost wrong and Mr Nee was picked up by 2 men successful an SUV.

Mr Korbel told police: "My mum enactment Liv successful my arms and told maine to support unit connected her chest.

"I didn't cognize wherefore until I lifted her pyjama apical up and seen a hole."

He said a neighbour came successful and gave CPR to Olivia, adding "I knew it was over."

Mr Korbel said Mr Nee was injured but helium did not deliberation helium had been changeable portion wrong the house.

Two of Ms Korbel's neighbours had been successful her lounge for beverage earlier the attack.

Hayley Freeman said she heard large bangs extracurricular and said Ms Korbel went to the beforehand doorway to find retired what was going on, erstwhile Mr Nee, pursued by Mr Cashman, tried to get into the house.

She said Ms Korbel tried to slam the doorway and artifact his way.

In a statement, Ms Freeman said: "I retrieve Cheryl screaming and the dependable of a struggle.

"We some got up and ran into the backmost kitchen. We unopen the doorway and called 999.

"I heard different bang and saw a flash. I past heard Cheryl screaming, I retrieve her saying Liv's sanction and that Liv had been shot."

Ms Freeman's partner, Rob Lamb, who was adjacent door, ran implicit and took a telephone from her arsenic she was calling the exigency services.

He said: "Then I was told the baby, Olivia, had been changeable past saw Cheryl implicit her saying, 'Stay with maine baby'.

"I judge she was inactive breathing astatine this point. I deliberation she past stopped breathing and the relation took maine done starting CPR."

PC Daniel Cooper, portion of the equipped effect portion from Merseyside Police, was the archetypal serviceman connected the scene.

In his statement, helium said: "As I looked astatine the stairs, I could spot a pistillate with an evident wounded to her manus sat crying and shouting hysterically."

He said helium past noticed Olivia.

"An big antheral was carrying retired CPR with his telephone beside him connected talker phone.

"I could spot a tiny slug introduction coiled to her thorax area, conscionable supra her stomach."

"I decided Olivia needed urgent aesculapian attention. I picked her up successful my arms and carried her down the stairs.

PC Cooper said helium remembered her assemblage being "limp".

He told a workfellow that "we needed to spell consecutive to infirmary arsenic Olivia had a gunshot coiled to the chest".

Mr Cashman, of Grenadier Drive, West Derby, Liverpool, denies the execution of Olivia, the attempted execution of Mr Nee, wounding with intent to bash grievous bodily harm to Olivia's mother, and 2 counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.