Paul Russell admitted to aiding a criminal by leading Thomas Cashman, 34, away from the shooting before passing his incriminating clothing to someone else. A getaway driver who helped Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s killer flee the scene of her murder has been jailed for 22 months, sparking unrest among the schoolgirl’s grieving family.
Cashman shot the nine-year-old to death during a botched gang murder in Dovecot, Liverpool, on August 22 last year, and this month he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 42 years. But his accomplice Russell could be released “relatively soon” after receiving his much shorter sentence on Wednesday, in which Olivia’s family members broke down in tears.
It came after Olivia’s brother, Ryan Korbel, withdrew when the court was told that Russel’s sentence could be stayed, which the judge ultimately rejected, ruling that “immediate custody” was required due to the “seriousness of the case.” “of the crime. The father of the murdered girl, John Pratt, had earlier yelled “so what?”, when Russell’s lawyer said he was spending “isolated” prison time.
Paul Russell Age
Paul Russell is 41 years old.
Paul Russell was Jailed for 22 months
The judge, Justice Amanda Yip, said that while some may view his sentencing as “lenient”, there was a “balance to be struck” because he came forward “despite genuine fear of consequences”.
She said: “I note his cooperation, the admissions he made in the interview and his continued willingness to assist the prosecution by presenting evidence at Mr. Cashman’s trial, even after learning he was not would grant immunity.”
Judge Yip said she had considered whether a suspended sentence would be appropriate, but she added: “However, I have come to the conclusion that appropriate punishment can only be imposed through immediate custody.”
‘Helping a murderer evade justice will always be treated very seriously. You have not been silent. Those who keep the cover to the best end can expect no mercy. Russell was “terrified” of Cashman and did not know he had killed the schoolgirl when he helped him, Liverpool Crown Court heard.
He met with police in the days after Olivia’s death and told them the man responsible was ‘Tommy Cashman’, the sentencing hearing was said. His guilty plea could not be reported until after the trial of Cashman, who was convicted of the student’s murder last month.
Russell, from West Derby, Liverpool, admitted to driving Cashman from an address after the shooting of Olivia, which occurred around 10 pm. the door and also injured her mother, Cheryl Korbel.
Russell also disposed of a bag Cashman gave him by taking it to another address.
The defendant, dressed in a black suit and white shirt, appeared via video link from a remote location for the hearing, which was attended by members of Olivia’s family.
Henry Riding, the accuser, said: “Mr Russell not only admitted what he had done to help Mr Cashman in the course of interviews with the police, but also named Mr Cashman in the course of the first interview with the police”. He said that Russell had offered to testify against Cashman as a prosecution witness.
Cashman’s trial heard that the killer fled the scene of the shooting as Olivia lay fatally wounded and went to the home of a woman with whom he had been in a relationship. The woman, who has been granted anonymity for life, told the court that Cashman had changed his clothes and that she overheard him say that he had “made Joey.”
Russell, who was also in a relationship with the woman, drove the killer from the address to Aspes Road, where he had earlier left his Citroen Berlingo van, and then carried a bag containing his clothes to Snowberry Road, where friends of Cashman lived.
In interviews with police, Russell said that he did not like Cashman and that he just wanted to get him away from the woman’s house. He told the officers: ‘I’m terrified of him.’ The court heard at the time that he knew Cashman had been involved in a shooting, but did not learn of Olivia’s death until the next morning.
He said he saw Cashman the next day and was warned, ‘Don’t say anything.’ But, the court heard, Russell spoke to a trusted member of the community that day in order to make arrangements to speak to the police, who he contacted the next day.
Tom Schofield, defending, said: “He does not for a moment suggest that he is innocent in this case and acknowledges that it is right that he should be punished.” He said moments after Russell was charged last October, police issued him a life-threatening notice. He had been remanded in Leeds, but was transferred to another prison, under an assumed name, due to a threat to his safety.
Schofield said Russell would be given a new identity and would not be allowed to return to Merseyside after his release. He said: “The defendant, for what he is worth to the court and to others listening, is the epitome of remorse for what he did.”
Detective Superintendent Mark Baker, Merseyside Police Principal Investigating Officer, said today: “The nation was rightly horrified by the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel as a result of the reckless actions of Thomas Cashman that night. “.
‘Helping someone to escape justice when he has committed a crime is reprehensible, but especially when the victim is an innocent child.
Fortunately, Russell saw fit to turn himself in when he realized the enormity of what Cashman had done and that Olivia had been murdered. His guilty plea at least spares Olivia’s family the agony of going through another trial and having to relive that horrible night once again.
Cashman will spend at least 42 years behind bars after being convicted of Olivia’s murder. As a consequence of what he did, Russell will now also spend a period of time behind bars where I hope he can reflect on his actions that night.”
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It comes after it was revealed last week that Cashman is appealing his 42-year sentence while the Attorney General is deciding whether to increase it to life after complaints that he was too lenient.
The Attorney General’s Office confirmed last Friday that it had received a request to review Cashman’s sentence for being “unduly lenient” as it emerged that his own lawyers will appeal to reduce his prison term.
A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said: ‘We have received an application for this sentence to be considered under the Unduly Lenient Sentencing (ULS) scheme. “Law enforcement officers have 28 days from the sentence to consider the case and make a decision.”
But lawyers for Cashman, a father of two, will take his case to the Court of Appeals, where they will argue that his sentence is too harsh and that he should serve less time before parole, the court confirmed.
Currently, the killer is kept in isolation for his “own protection” after his heinous crime made him “Public Enemy Number One in Strangeways Prison.” A gang member previously claimed that he had placed a £250,000 bounty on his head via the encrypted messaging app Telegram. Olivia’s devastated family wept tears of relief earlier this month when Cashman was convicted of murder.
Sentencing the murderer, Judge Amanda Yip told the court that she had considered giving Cashman a life sentence, but she decided against it because her intent to kill was not specifically directed at the young woman. .
Cashman had attempted to carry out his hit on gang rival Joseph Nee as he was walking home from a friend’s house, but his gun jammed and Cashman’s target fled, breaking into Olivia’s house in an attempt to steal it. be saved.
Although he claimed in court that he was just a cannabis dealer, Cashman was allegedly known as a hitman who “didn’t think to put a bullet in anyone.” Cashman insisted that at the time of the shooting he had been at a friend’s house where he counted £10,000 in cash and smoked a joint.
During his testimony, he told the court: ‘I’m not a murderer, I’m a father.’
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