Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Ellen Kirwin

Tributes to 'angel' Olivia, CCTV before Ashley Dale murder and predator jailed

These are the latest ECHO headlines this morning.

Children hold hands as tributes grow for 'little angel' Olivia Pratt-Korbel

Children consoled one another as a heartbroken local community came together to pay tribute to Olivia Pratt-Korbel.

Nine-year-old Olivia was fatally shot in the chest at around 10pm on Monday (August 22). Merseyside Police believe a 35-year-old man, who was being chased by a man armed with a gun, forced his way into Olivia's house on Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecot.

The offender ran in after him, firing a number of shots - one of which hit Olivia's mum Cheryl in the wrist before fatally wounding Olivia. Police remain on the hunt for the gunman, while the local community has been rocked by what Mayor Joanne Anderson called "an appalling act of evil".

READ MORE: Mum's fight to save Olivia Pratt-Korbel as shooter invaded their home

The ECHO spoke to neighbours at the scene in Dovecot on Tuesday (August 23). One man, who wished to remain anonymous, said he knew the family and was devastated by Olivia's death.

He said: "They're a quiet family and Olivia was lovely - very pleasant, very polite, very kind. She would play out in the street with the other kids. It's heartbreaking, devastating. There are families around here that won't feel safe now."

Read more here.

Child rapist who heckled victim in court jailed for 20 years

A paedophile branded one of his victims a liar as he was jailed for 20 years.

Kenneth Kavanagh raped a seven-year-old boy and sexually assaulted a girl when she was aged as young as six. Decades later, he has finally been brought to justice - but attempted to heckle the woman he abused as a child as she outlined the devastating impact his crimes have had on her.

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, that the 74-year-old's historic offences involved assaulting a girl and forcing her to watch him masturbate. Kavanagh, of St Andrew's Court in Ellesmere Port, also plied her with alcohol.

READ MORE: Schoolgirl, 9, shot dead in her home as gunman on the run

He went on to rape a boy and forced him to perform sex acts upon him on multiple occasions. The predator "used violence against him to bend him to his will" and told him not to tell anyone about his abuse.

The female complainant said in a statement to the court that Kavanagh's abuse had been her "first sexual experience", which had "shaped her life". She added: "You were disgusting and dirty.

"There were times in my adult life where alcohol played a part as a result of the abuse sustained from you. That was a coping mechanism for dealing with the trauma I had gone through as a result of you.

Read the full story here.

CCTV of car seen in road minutes before Ashley Dale was shot dead

Detectives investigating the murder of Ashley Dale have released CCTV footage of a car being driven in Old Swan shortly before her killing.

Ashley died after being shot in her own home by a gunman who burst through her front door on Leinster Road. Police say the 28-year-old was not believed to have been the intended target of the shooter, although detectives think the gunman was targeting her address for unknown reasons.

Ashley was found with gunshot wounds in the back garden of the property and was taken to hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A Home Office Post Mortem has confirmed the cause of Ashley’s death was a single gunshot wound.

READ MORE: Killer 'burst through woman's front door' and shot her dead

Now detectives have released CCTV footage of a car seen being driven into Leinster Road on Sunday August 21, at around 12.30am - roughly 10 minutes before the shooting was reported. Officers wish to speak to the car's driver, or any passengers, as police believe they may have vital information which could help the investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Cath Cummings said: “Our officers are working round-the-clock to investigate this appalling incident which led to the tragic death of a young woman.

“Our enquiries so far show that a car was driven into Leinster Road, not too long before the incident was reported to police. If it was you driving the car, you were a passenger or the CCTV jogs your memory about anything you might have seen in the early hours of Sunday morning then please get in touch. Information you have could be crucial to our ongoing investigation."

Read more here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.