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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Adam Everett

Child killer, people smugglers and 'Wooden Jay' among criminals jailed this week

Olivia Pratt-Korbel's killer, a drug importer known as "Wooden Jay" and a park rapist were among the Merseyside criminals jailed over the last week.

Also locked up were two people smugglers who drove Vietnamese nationals into the UK in their car boots. Meanwhile, Liverpool Crown Court heard that a paedophile sexually assaulted a young girl as she slept.

Here are the faces of eight criminals from our region who were imprisoned in the past week.

READ MORE: Cocaine importers armed with hand grenades had 'lads who blow heads off'

Thomas Cashman

Thomas Cashman was jailed for life with a minimum term of 42 years for the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel.

The 34-year-old, of Grenadier Drive in West Derby, was unanimously found guilty of murdering the nine-year-old schoolgirl by a jury. She was shot dead in her own home on Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecot in one of the most horrific crimes in Merseyside's history.

Cashman was due to return to court to be sentenced on Monday, but refused to appear in the dock to learn his fate. Professor John Cooper KC, defending, said that his client was "concerned that the matter was turning into a circus" and claimed that he had heard representatives of the Crown Prosecution Service "loudly" singing 'We are the Champions' after the verdict was delivered.

Justice Amanda Yip described his actions as "disrespectful to the family of the deceased". Gasps were heard among Olivia's family as the sentence was passed with one man heard to say "yes", while her mum Cheryl was seen dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

Thomas Cashman (Merseyside Police)

Sentencing, Justice Amanda Yip said: "The killing of Olivia Pratt-Korbel is an offence that shocked not only the city of Liverpool, but the nation. Olivia’s name is likely to be remembered for many years.

"She should not be remembered only for her dreadful last moments. Her family have spoken today of Olivia in life and of the hopes and dreams for her future, which were so cruelly snatched away.

"It is plain that Olivia was a lovely little girl, who cared for others and brightened the lives of her family and friends. They have suffered an unimaginable loss which they must carry for the rest of their lives."

John Webber

John Webber appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday (Merseyside Police)

The paedophile assaulted a 12-year-old girl while she slept

John Webber pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault. He cried and held his head in his hands as he was jailed for five-and-a-half years.

David Finn and James Liddiard

David Finn and James Liddiard (Home Office)

James Liddiard and David Finn were among six Merseyside-based people traffickers caught attempting to transport stowaways into the UK from France within the space of a week. The former did so with his mum in the passenger seat under the guise of a day trip to Paris.

The smugglers "worked in pairs", with the first such illicit journey being detected on December 9 2018. On this occasion, two hidden Vietnamese passengers were discovered in the boot of a car being driven by Charli White, with then 17-year-old companion Erin Burns "acting as a decoy" next to her in the front.

Then, on December 13, Liddiard was stopped while driving with his mum Andrea Cavanagh with a further two concealed migrants. The same day, Louisa Harrison and David Finn were caught transporting three stowaways locked in the trunk.

All six admitted facilitating unlawful immigration. Several pleaded guilty to the offence as long ago as August 2019, with delays in the case proceeding through the court system being cited among the reasons that some were allowed to walk free from the dock.

Liddiard was jailed for two years, while Finn was handed 22 months behind bars. White - who is also known as Charli Maddock - received a two-year imprisonment suspended for two years and a six-month electronically-monitored curfew from 7pm to 7am.

Cavanagh and Harrison each received 22 months suspended for two years and six-month curfews from 8pm to 8am. Burns was given a 15-month sentence suspended for two years and a six-month, 7pm to 8am curfew.

Sam Oliver

The roofer was wanted by two police forces when he was caught after men were seen "dealing drugs" outside of a primary school.

Sam Oliver, of Glangariff Street, Tuebrook, was on the run from Cheshire Police and was also wanted by police in Scotland when he was arrested by South Wales Police on January 10. Officers ended up executing a warrant at a property on Carreg Cennen Gardens after they saw the suspicious activity outside Cwm Glas Primary School in Swansea.

Oliver tried to flee through the back door but was caught, with officers recovering 20g of heroin and 57g of crack cocaine from the address, along with £699 in cash. The total street value of the drugs was estimated to be up to £6,000.

The defendant pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine. He was jailed for three years and four months.

William Davidson and Steven Gorry

William Davidson, from Melling, jailed for trafficking large quantities of Class A drugs using the EncroChat handles 'WoodenJay' and 'RainBonsai' (NWROCU)

Two men who were identified as major drug traffickers after chatting about their kids on EncroChat devices are starting huge prison sentences.

William Davidson, 39, and his right-hand man Steven Gorry, 47, were linked to the supply of 108kg of cocaine and 14kg of heroin arranged via the encrypted phone network, using the handles 'WoodenJay, 'RainBonsai' and 'RacyBike'. Detectives knew the handles were discussing huge drug deals, and were involved in a plan to import 76 kilos of cocaine from the Netherlands, but they then had to identify the men behind the devices.

Steven Gorry, from Walton, jailed for trafficking large quantities of Class A drugs using the EncroChat handle 'RacyBike' (NWROCU)

Davidson was identified having had a child during lockdown and shared photos of his new baby on the network. Gorry also discussed homeschooling his children during the pandemic and shared information which hinted at his identity.

Both admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Davidson was jailed for 18 years and nine months, while Gorry was locked up for 16 years and six months.

Jwamer Saygul

Jwamer Saygul, 24, of Ringway in Neston, rapes a Ukrainian refugee in a park (CPS)

It took a jury just 25 minutes to find a rapist guilty after he attacked a woman in a park.

Jwamer Saygul, 24, violently raped the woman in a park in Neston, Wirral on October 3, 2022. He had met the woman, who had fled to this country from the ongoing war in Ukraine, on a bus from Chester City centre.

He was sentenced to nine years in custody.

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