Mum of murdered Olivia Pratt-Korbel issues desperate weapons plea begging people to 'think twice'

Mum of murdered Olivia Pratt-Korbel issues desperate weapons plea begging people to 'think twice' The parents of victims killed in shootings in 2022, including nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, have come together in the hope of preventing young people turning to a life of crime The mother of gunned down Olivia-Pratt Korbel today issued a desperate plea in the hope of stopping young people turning to crime, saying: "Think twice before picking up a weapon." The nine-year-old was shot by a gunman as he chased another drug dealer into her home in 2022. Olivia's mother, Cheryl, was injured when Thomas Cashman, 37, fired shots into the property on August 22 2022. Cashman was jailed for life with a minimum term of 42 years for Olivia's murder. It was the third fatal Merseyside shooting in a week after Ashley Dale, 28, and Sam Rimmer, 22, were killed. On Christmas Eve that year, beautician Elle Edwards, 26, was killed when a gunman fired shots into a group of people outside the Lighthouse pub in Wirral, Merseyside. Now their families have come together to launch a new Merseyside Police education initiative, four years on from the spate of shootings. Cheryl said: "Hopefully, it makes a big difference and people think twice before even picking a weapon up." On Christmas Eve that year, beautician Elle Edwards, 26, was also killed when a gunman fired shots into a group of people outside the Lighthouse pub in Wirral, Merseyside. The parents of the four victims gathered at Olivia's Tree - the memorial in Dovecot, Liverpool, close to where the schoolgirl lived - to launch the Dear Merseyside initiative, which has been named after a poem by Joseph Roberts. As the anniversary of Olivia's death approached, Cheryl said she had to "take every day as it comes, one step in front of the other". She added: "Olivia should have turned 13 on June 13 2026. She would be in high school with her friends, sharing the excitement of becoming a teenager. Instead, we are left holding the milestones she never got to reach." Julie Dale, the mother of 28-year-old environmental health worker Ms Dale, said: "Obviously August is a difficult time for us, but I just think every day is difficult." She said the families, who were strangers before the tragedies, had provided support for each other over the last four years. "We get it, we get what each other are going through," she said. "We help each other loads. People can say, 'Oh, we know how you're feeling'. Not until your child's been murdered. No-one knows how you're feeling." In the wake of the murders, Merseyside Police was given funding by the Home Office to begin a Clear, Hold, Build operation, known locally as EVOLVE, bringing together police, local authorities and other agencies to tackle serious organised crime and create safer neighbourhoods. In September, the scheme will launch the Dear Merseyside resource in schools and youth organisations, using the families' stories to try and encourage young people to think differently about violence, exploitation and the choices they make. In a statement, the families said: "We have chosen to support this resource because we want young people to hear the human stories behind the headlines. We hope they see that every act of violence leaves families, friends and communities living with its consequences forever. If this helps even one young person to think differently, make a better choice or stay safe, it matters." Det Chief Supt Paul Grounds, the head of EVOLVE for Merseyside Police, said: "We are incredibly grateful to the families for helping create a lasting legacy from unimaginable loss. We hope this resource inspires young people across Merseyside to make positive choices, support one another and help build safer, stronger communities for generations to come." Council worker Ashley, 28, was “deliberately and mercilessly” blasted with a Skorpion sub-machine gun in a cold-blooded killing in her home in Old Swan, Liverpool. Her killers had been on the hunt for boyfriend Lee Harrison, who was the intended target of the revenge hit. James Witham, 41, Niall Barry, 26, Sean Zeisz, 28, and Joseph Peers, 28, were previously jailed for life for murder. They were also convicted of conspiracy to murder Harrison and conspiracy to possess a prohibited weapon, a Skorpion sub-machine gun, and ammunition. Elsewhere Sam Rimmer was struck by one of eight bullets fired from a sub-machine gun from the back of an electric bike in Dingle, Liverpool, at about 11.40pm. The 22-year-old had been visiting friends in Lavrock Bank, Dingle, where he was caught up in an escalating dispute between two street-level drugs gangs. Merseyside Police believe they have the names of those responsible, and have made 10 arrests, but say they need crucial witnesses to come forward to move the case forward. Elle Edwards, 26, was killed by gunman Connor Chapman, 23, after he fired a sub-machine gun into a group of people outside the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village in Wirral on Christmas Eve 2022. Thomas Waring, 26, was jailed for nine years in July 2023 after he was found guilty of possessing a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender by helping Chapman burn out the stolen Mercedes used in the shooting.