'I died the day my son was shot in the back... I function, but I do not live' says Liverpool mum
Numerous families affected by gun violence in Liverpool have spoken out, calling for communities to raise the alarm earlier to prevent unneccesary deaths.
With nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel having been shot by gunman Thomas Cashman as he chased another drug dealer into her home in Dovecot, in August 2022, her mother Cheryl is calling on communities to speak out as we near the third anniversary of her daughter’s death.
Olivia’s killing three years ago was the third fatal shooting within a week in Merseyside after 28-year-old Ashley Dale was shot in her home in Old Swan in the early hours of the previous day and Sam Rimmer, 22, was killed in Dingle on August 16.
“My little girl was only nine years old when she was shot in her own home,” said Cheryl. “She had her whole life ahead of her and the pain of her loss is indescribable. It has been three years since I last heard her laugh, put her to bed or held her hand but the pain of her loss still feels like it happened yesterday.
“I will never see her grow up, get married, have children of her own or fulfil her dreams and that is devastating.”
We need your help
After the murders, Merseyside Police received Home Office funding for Evolve, an operation designed to eradicate crime and help rebuild communities. “Evolve was created to help prevent further tragedies and other families from having to endure the pain we feel every single day,” said Cheryl. “While it’s making a difference we need your help.
“To keep our communities safest, if you know anything about criminality, please speak out.”
Cheryl was recently at Olivia’s Tree, planted in her daughter’s memory, to meet people from the Evolve programme, as well as Tim Edwards, whose daughter Elle died in a shooting outside a pub on the Wirral on Christmas Eve 2022 at the age of 26. The families have gotten to know each other since the tragedies.
“It’s the club that you don’t want to be in and we’re all in that club, so we’re always looking out for each other,” said Tim. “Elle should still be here, living her life and making plans for her future. We can’t change what happened to her but we can help stop it from happening to someone else.
“If you know something, please come forward. Your courage could save a life and spare another family the pain we live with every day.”
‘Living a nightmare’
With four men – James Witham, Niall Barry, Sean Zeisz, and Joseph Peers – convicted of Ashley Dale’s murder, her mother Julie said: “We count ourselves one of the ‘lucky’ ones as we have been able to get justice for Ashley. Without the support of the community, who knows what position we would be in now.
“Sadly, there are families who are still waiting for their justice knowing that their loved one’s killers are still out there walking our streets,” she added. “No parent should have to go through this. Losing a child in such an horrific way and knowing that someone knows who has committed these crimes is just unbearable.
“So I appeal to anyone who may have information that could help give the families the justice they deserve and help ease the lifelong pain they are facing to come forward to police or Crimestoppers.”
‘I died the day Sam did. I function but I do not live’
No one has been charged in relation to the death of Sam Rimmer, who was with friends when individuals on electric bikes opened fire on them. His mother, Jo Rimmer, has urged anyone who knows the identity of his killers to come forward.
“If you know something and you are reading this, please, please speak up,” she said. “No one will ever know as it will be completely anonymous. Sam was shot in his back. He was turned away from his killers. This image haunts me. In his final moments, was he scared? Was he in pain? I died the day Sam did. I function but I do not live.
“I know the pain of losing Sam will never go but if I see justice for his murder, maybe the family and I can begin to move forward and remember the happy memories of Sam.”