Olivia Pratt-Korbel murder: All drug users must take share of blame, says police chief

People who use recreational drugs are “responsible” for fuelling the organised crime that led to the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, the police chief in charge of the investigation into her killing has warned.

The schoolgirl was shot dead by Thomas Cashman, a cannabis dealer, as he pursued a rival in a bungled gangland hit in Liverpool last August.

Cashman, who made £250,000 a year tax free selling drugs and claimed he had a reputation for driving “high-powered sports cars”, wept in the dock at Manchester Crown Court as he was convicted of killing the nine-year-old following an 18-day trial.

Members of his family stormed out of court, shouting and swearing. Olivia’s mother, Cheryl, raised a pink teddy bear into the air and shouted: “Yes!”

Cashman shot Olivia in the chest after bursting into her home as he pursued Joseph Nee, a fellow drug dealer, through the streets of Dovecot.

Gun crime fuelled by the drug trade has wracked the community in the area, with some residents wearing makeshift bulletproof vests to go to the shops.

Olivia’s murder came on the 15th anniversary of the killing of Rhys Jones, the 11-year-old who was shot dead in Liverpool as he walked home from football practice.

It has reignited the debate about the widespread use of drugs in society and the role the trade plays in the violent crime epidemic sweeping the UK.

Asst Chief Constable Chris Green, of Merseyside Police, said people who used recreational drugs needed to understand that they were also responsible for the suffering caused to innocent people such as Olivia and her family.

Speaking about the challenges facing the police as they tackle the lucrative drugs trade, he said: “There’s a strong message – if those individuals who at the weekend are partying out in clubs or socialising in houses think they’re not doing any harm by having a line of cocaine or doing whatever they want to do...

“Everyone involved in the chain is responsible. That is the reality. If there wasn’t demand, there wouldn’t be supply.

“Organised crime is a global phenomenon. It plays out on the streets of Merseyside. Where do those drugs come from? They don’t come from our country. They are manufactured, grown, produced in various other countries around the world, a global chain which brings that commodity into the system.

“It’s a global socio-economic phenomenon fuelled by individuals, either because they make a choice they want to take illicit drugs, sometimes just at the weekend, or because people have severe addictions and feel as if they haven’t got any way out.”

His comments come just days after the leaders of Britain’s two main political parties unveiled plans to crack down on drugs.

Earlier this week, Rishi Sunak announced a drive against anti-social behaviour, including a ban on laughing gas. The Prime Minister said he wanted a “zero tolerance approach” as he announced that nitrous oxide would be a Class C drug.

Commenting on the conviction of Cashman, Mr Sunak’s spokesman said: “The Prime Minister’s thoughts remain with the family and friends of Olivia during what must be an incredibly difficult time.”

On Thursday night, a source close to Suella Braverman, said: “Drugs are a scourge on our society, and the Home Secretary is under no illusions about the damage they cause to people and our communities.

“That is why the Home Secretary is absolutely clear that we must crack down on their use and the gangs who are profiting from this hugely damaging crime.”

Labour launched its “mission” to cut crime earlier this month, when Sir Keir Starmer, the party's leader, said children’s lives could be ruined by cannabis fumes drifting in through their window.

He said: “There’s a family in my constituency, every night cannabis smoke creeps in from the street outside into their children’s bedroom – aged four and six. That’s not low-level, it’s ruining their lives.”

However, some senior Labour figures are in favour of decriminalising cannabis, a Class B drug. Sadiq Khan, the London Mayor, last year launched a commission to examine the effectiveness of the UK’s drug laws and visited Los Angeles to see the impact of the city’s decision to legalise cannabis in 2016.

While the possession and use of cannabis remains illegal in the UK, many police forces have been accused of turning a blind eye, with users in some parts of the country able to smoke the drug openly without fear of arrest.

But the violence associated with the lucrative trade as gangs vie for territory is creating concern among police chiefs and politicians.

Cashman, a father of two, had an enviable lifestyle, driving luxury cars and jetting off on regular foreign holidays thanks to the drugs trade.

While he admitted selling cannabis around the streets of Liverpool, he denied being a “bad drug-dealer”, telling the court: “I was drug-dealing, I admit. I hold my hands up, I’m a drug-dealer. I’m not a bad drug-dealer who sells Class A drugs – I don’t do anything bad.

"I sell cannabis in my local area, whereabouts I grew up. Some people might look at that as a bad thing, because a drug dealer’s a drug dealer. I don’t look at it as I’m a bad person for doing that.”

However, The Telegraph understands that Cashman was also an enforcer for an organised crime group that controlled a number of cannabis farms across the North West. He is due to be sentenced on Monday.