Merseyside Detectives: When is C4 murder documentary on, what happened to Oliva Pratt-Korbel and Ashley Dale?
The four-part true crime series follows Merseyside Police’s investigations into the ‘senseless’ killings that took place less than 48 hours apart in the summer of 2022.
A new documentary on the tragic murders of Ashley Dale and Olivia Pratt-Korbel will air on Channel 4 on Monday night.
The four-part true crime series, Merseyside Detectives, follows Merseyside Police’s investigations into the ‘senseless’ killings that took place less than 48 hours apart in the summer of 2022.
Council worker, Ashely Dale, was just 28 when a gunman burst into her house in Old Swan, in the early hours of August 21 and opened fire. She was found in the back garden with a fatal gunshot wound. From the start of their investigations, detectives at Merseyside Police said they believed the attack on the address on Leinster Road was targeted although they say they didn't believe that Ashley was the intended target.
Less than two days later and just two miles away nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead in her home in Dovecot when a gunman chased another man into her house on Kingsheath Avenue, on August 22, and opened fire through the door. Exactly 15 years since the murder of Rhys Jones, another innocent child's life, had been cut short by gun crime on the streets of Liverpool.
The murders rocked Liverpool to its core and as Merseyside Police began extensive inquiries into the killings, it became clear that the two innocent victims had been caught in the middle of feuds by organised crime groups.
Filmed over two years, the new documentary - from Liverpool-based company LA productions - follows every step of the murder inquiries, providing exclusive access into Merseyside Police’s investigations and hearing from the victims’ families.
The series will begin with the killing of Ashley Dale and explore how a Glastonbury row led to an innocent women being gunned down by a Skorpion submachine gun. The first episode will also see Olivia’s mum Cheryl recount in harrowing detail what happened on the night of her murder. In a city with ‘no grass culture’, the four parts will see how Liverpool fought for justice, explore how Merseyside Police handled the two high-profile cases, see the killers exposed and explore Cheryl Korbel’s mission to change the law in her daughter’s name.
Last year, LiverpoolWorld produced three four-part documentaries into the horrific killings of Oliva Pratt-Korbel, Ashley Dale and Elle Edwards. The series, produced by local journalists, delves into the terrible events that led to their deaths, the aftermath and the subsequent murder trials. All episodes are available via Shots!TV and more information is available here.
LiverpoolWorld true crime series
When can I watch C4’s Merseyside Detectives?
The first episode will be shown on Channel 4 at 9.00pm on Monday (August 19). In total, there will be four episodes, with the final three episodes being screened on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (August 20, 21 and 22) at 9.00pm on Channel 4.