Mother of nine-year-old fatally shot in her home urges those responsible for her death to come forward
The mother of Olivia Pratt-Korbel has said those responsible for her death “know [they’ve] done wrong” and “need to own up” as she issued an emotional appeal.
Cheryl Korbel, whose nine-year-old daughter was fatally shot at their home in Dovecot, Liverpool, paid tribute to her “little shadow” in the video, which was filmed and released by Merseyside police.
Korbel, 46, said she hoped whomever was responsible for the killing would come forward. “You know you’ve done wrong, so you need to own up. Like I taught my kids, you do something wrong, you own up to it,” she said.
“If anyone is hiding these guns, they need to speak up, because they need to be off the streets. No one, no one at all, should have to go through this.”
Wearing a cast on her wrist after being injured in the shooting, Korbel said the family had been planning days out and a trip to buy Olivia’s new school uniform before she died.
She broke down in tears as she described how her daughter would never stop talking and said: “That’s what I miss the most, because I can’t hear her talk.”
Olivia’s father, John Francis Pratt, also paid tribute to his daughter and called for anyone with information about her death to come forward.
In a statement, he and his wider family said: “We don’t want another child to lose their life in such horrendous circumstances and we don’t want to see another family suffer like we are suffering now.
“Olivia’s death cannot be in vain and we want people to feel safe, and be safe; that can only happen if we all come together and make sure there is no place for guns, or those who use guns, on our streets or in our communities.”
A 34-year-old man from Liverpool, who was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, remains in custody after police were granted an extension to continue questioning him. Three other men have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Olivia was shot in her home when a gunman chased Joseph Nee, a convicted burglar, into the property at about 10pm on 22 August.
A postmortem examination found the cause of her death was a gunshot wound to the chest.
