It is understood several members of the public complained the sentence of Thomas Cashman, 34, was too lenient (Picture: PA)
Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s killer could see his prison term increased following complaints from the public it was too lenient.
Gunman Thomas Cashman, 34, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 42 years earlier this month.
Olivia, who was just 9, got caught in the crossfire of a gang war while she shouted out to her mum in her home in Knotty Ash, Liverpool.
Cowardly Cashman refused to appear in the dock for the sentencing at Manchester Crown Court and to hear the family’s victim impact statements, which judge Mrs Justice Yip called ‘deeply disrespectful’.
Cashman was sentenced in his absence but Mrs Yip said a whole-life order was not required for the case.
But it is understood several members of the public complained about the length of the sentence, claiming it was too lenient and he should have been given a whole-life term.
The Attorney General’s Office has since confirmed it has received a request asking for the sentence to be increased.
Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was just 9, got caught in the crossfire of a gang war (Picture: PA)
She had shouted out to her mum at her home in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, as the tragedy unfolded (Picture: PA)
A spokesperson for the office told The Sun: ‘We have received a request for this sentence to be considered under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.
‘The law officers have 28 days from sentencing to consider the case and make a decision.’
If the attorney general decides to refer the case to the Court of Appeal, judges there could increase Cashman’s sentence – or even decrease it.
Cashman was sentenced on April 3, which means the office has until May 1 to make a decision.
Court artist sketch of Cashman in the dock at Manchester Crown Court (Picture: Elizabeth Cook / PA)
A police convoy carrying Thomas Cashman to court (Picture: Reuters)
The country was left reeling from the crime, and a spokesperson for the prime minister said ‘thoughts remain with the family and friends of Olivia during what must be an incredibly difficult time’.
After the guilty verdict was delivered, Olivia’s mum Cheryl Korbel, 46, left court waving a pink teddy bear and told reporters she was ‘ecstatic’.
Olivia’s mum Cheryl Korbel, 46, left Manchester Crown Court waving a pink teddy bear and told reporters she was ‘ecstatic’ after Thomas Cashman, 34, was convicted.
Cashman ‘ruthlessly pursued’ his intended target, drug dealer Joseph Nee, into the Korbel family home on the evening of August 22 last year.
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She was standing on the stairs when Cashman fired at Nee as he tried to barge his way in, with Olivia fatally hit in the chest and her mum in the hand.
Cashman fled the scene on foot and Nee staggered out into the road, where he was picked up by several men in a black car.
Olivia was taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, but she was declared dead at 11.15pm.
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It is understood several members of the public complained his sentence was too lenient.