The gun killer of little Olivia Pratt-Korbel has been linked to three unsolved gangland murders.
Thomas Cashman, 34, is facing a life sentence for shooting nine-year-old Olivia in her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, last August as he hunted down drug dealer Joseph Nee.
Cashman was said to have been hired to kill Nee by a feared international drug trafficking cartel who suspected the latter of a jail plot to steal a consignment of their cocaine.
And the Mirror has spoken to several sources who say Cashman had been named as a suspect in three gangland murders dating back more than a decade.
Like the attack on Nee, each victim was shot a number of times at close range by a killer with one or two handguns in residential streets close to where they lived.
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Thomas Cashman was convicted of murdering Olivia Pratt-Korbel (Liverpool Echo)Also like the Nee attack, the gunman would be dressed in black and approach the target on foot.
In some of the cases the killer and victim appear to have been known to each other, just as Cashman and Nee were.
Each of the three men killed were suspected of involvement in crime. The Mirror has decided not to identify the cases, which all remain unsolved.
Joseph Nee, Cashman's intended victim on the night of the shooting (PA)
Olivia was hit in the chest by a bullet (PA)Terrified locals had believed Cashman was untouchable, but Olivia’s murder was a watershed moment and within 24 hours his name had been given to detectives.
Det Supt Mark Baker, who led the investigation, said the killer remained in the area after Olivia’s murder to “reign terror” on the community – but they had had enough.
Mr Baker added: “This is a defining moment in the community across Merseyside.
“This dreadful, abhorrent murder has really drawn a line in the sand. We hoped from the outset that people would come forward and support us, people who wouldn’t ordinarily come forwards and support the police clearly have done and we will continue to target people involved in drug dealing in the area.”
Paul Russell was charged with assisting an offender in connection to the case
Cashman's girlfriend Kayleeanne Sweeney leaves court after the guilty verdict (PA)Mr Baker said Olivia’s murder was caused by “serious and organised crime” and he vowed to continue to hunt down Cashman’s associates.
He said the killer had shown no remorse and was “not worthy of walking the streets of Merseyside”.
Thomas Edward Cashman was born in Liverpool on September 4, 1988, the son of a meat porter dad.
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He grew up with his four siblings in the city before leaving school at 13 and becoming a fairground worker in Wales.
He returned to Liverpool and began small-scale cannabis dealing.
In 2013 he posted a photo of himself smiling and holding gun fingers at the head of a waxwork of the late Queen Elizabeth.
It was around this time he had become a drug dealer, and by the time of Olivia’s murder last year he told jurors he had become a “high-level” dealer earning up to £5,000 a week.
He said: “I would buy cars, bikes, save some, go on holidays, just spend it on stuff that I enjoy, basically.”
A supporter of Thomas Cashman makes an obscene gesture as she leaves court (PA)Cashman claimed he was selling five to 10kg of cannabis a week in his patch around Finch Lane.
The court heard that while living with his childhood sweetheart Kayleeanne Sweeney, he began an affair in 2020 with a woman who would go on to give crucial evidence against him.
The star witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court they had slept together just three times.
Dad-of-two Cashman claimed the affair lasted over two years from June 2020 to 2022, and accused the woman of framing him in revenge because he would not leave Kayleeanne.
Insisting he was “a dad, not a killer”, Cashman said: “I’m not a bad drug dealer who sells Class A drugs, I don’t do anything bad.”
But the reality was very different.
When he murdered Olivia, Cashman was living in a detached home owned by Christopher Gibney, who is wanted over a £186million cocaine plot.
A sketch of Cashman giving evidence during his trial (Helen Tipper / SWNS)Sources say Cashman had been heavily involved for many years in the higher echelons of Liverpool’s organised crime world.
He is understood to be linked to a group suspected of being responsible for a string of grenade and gun attacks in the city.
They are said to be funded by huge profits from large shipments of cocaine brought into the Liverpool docks from South America.
The gang, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are believed to have operated on a similar scale to former Liverpool drugs kingpin Curtis Warren.
Originally based in Liverpool, the network’s links are understood to have reached Spain, Holland and South America.
Cashman’s Facebook profile shows links to a Who’s Who of the Liverpool underworld, including convicted criminals, robbers and other contract killers.
His friends include Dylan Westall, jailed for life for his role in the shooting 17-year-old James Meadows, and who is linked by police to a spate of other shootings across the city.
Another Facebook friend Reuben Murphy was convicted last year of the murder of Patrick Boyle, 26, by shooting him twice in the chest from his electric bike.
A third friend of Cashman’s, Elliot Mulligan, 22, was stabbed to death in Albufeira, Portugal, in April this year, and his murder is linked to a string of revenge gun and knife attacks in Liverpool.
Merseyside Police said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on specific cases and murders which are undetected, however Merseyside Police has a cold case review team who work on unresolved murders and they are regularly reviewed by the team.
“If anyone has new information which could help with the investigation and bring justice for the families, they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
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