Thomas Cashman, the man convicted of murdering nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, was among 39 criminals jailed in Merseyside in April. Cashman, 34, of Grenadier Drive in West Derby, received a life sentence with a minimum term of 42 years for shooting the schoolgirl dead in her home on Kingsheath Avenue in Dovecot. He refused to appear in the dock for sentencing, with his defence claiming he was concerned the matter was turning into a circus. Justice Amanda Yip described his actions as disrespectful to the family of the deceased.
Other notable cases include John Webber, who pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault and was jailed for five-and-a-half years. He cried and held his head in his hands as the sentence was passed at Liverpool Crown Court.
Six Merseyside-based people traffickers were also sentenced for attempting to transport stowaways into the UK from France. James Liddiard and David Finn were among those caught, with Liddiard jailed for two years and Finn for 22 months. The smugglers worked in pairs, with hidden Vietnamese passengers discovered in vehicle boots during December 2018.
Sam Oliver, a roofer from Tuebrook, was arrested by South Wales Police while wanted by both Cheshire Police and Scottish authorities. He was caught after men were seen dealing drugs outside a primary school.
The list also includes a mum and son who filmed themselves laughing as they torched a houseboat, and a dad who used an international network of criminal contacts to flood the UK with cocaine and heroin.
