Channel 4's Merseyside Detectives highlights the investigation into the nine-year-old's murder A documentary on the murders of Ashley Dale and Olivia Pratt-Korbel arrives on Channel 4 tonight. Merseyside Detectives premieres at 9pm and follows the force's investigation into the high-profile killings that rocked the city to its core. The fly-on-the-wall documentary, from Liverpool-based company LA Productions, will look at the investigations of DCI Cummings and Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Baker, the senior investigating officer into Olivia's murder.
The four-part documentary, which will provide exclusive access into Merseyside Police's investigations, will also include interviews with the officers involved in the cases and the victims' families, including Ashley's mum Julie Dale, and Olivia's mum Cheryl Korbel . Olivia was killed on August 22, 2022, when she was shot by Thomas Cashman , who chased convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee into her family home in Dovecot, Liverpool. Cashman shot blindly through the front door, with a .
38 calibre revolver, wounding Cheryl and fatally wounding nine-year-old Olivia who was shot in the chest. On the first anniversary of her death last year, Cheryl said she wants her daughter to be remembered as a “sassy little princess”, who was “cheeky” and “loved life”. Cheryl said Olivia left a lasting impact on the community and has since been remembered with a garden in Court Hey Park , Knowsley , which features a butterfly mosaic and will be used by schoolchildren for workshops.
She said last year : “It’s lovely. The kids can’t wait to come down in September and to start doing the workshops at the garden. Even when I go to the school, I still see the mums and dads and it’s lovely to still have that connection with the school and the mums and dads and the kids.
“They’ve all been touched by Liv, one way or another.” Cheryl's cousin, Antonia Elverson, added: “She packed so much into them little nine years and whether she was only borrowed to us for nine years, we had the most amazing nine years and that’s something that we will live with and we’ll carry her through with us.” After she was killed, the family issued a tribute to Olivia's "unique" personality .
They said: “Liv was a unique chatty, nosey little girl who broke the mould when she was born. "She loved life and all it had to offer. Liv loved dressing up and was very particular about how she was dressed, like any other little girl she loved doing her makeup and nails, she was nine going on 19.
“Liv was adored by everyone who knew her and would instantly make friends with anyone and everyone. She was often seen going up and down the street on her new bike she had just got for her birthday. Although her life was short, her personality certainly wasn’t and she lived it to the most she could, and would blow people away with her wit and kindness.
" Olivia attended St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Junior School in Huyton and dreamed of becoming a vet or teacher before her life was cut short. Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen said: “Olivia’s family are absolutely broken by her tragic loss, which has robbed a beautiful young child of the life and future she should have been looking forward to. "Olivia wanted to be a teacher, or a vet and her family have described her as someone who liked to laugh and make others laugh.
She was an innocent young child in her own home, who should have been safe." Cashman was jailed for a minimum of 42 years for Olivia's murder when he was found guilty in April last year. However, he refused to appear in the dock to face up to his actions during the sentencing.
Cheryl campaigned for a change in law to force criminals to face their victims for sentencing in court after this incident. This came into force when "Olivia's Law" was announced in the King's Speech last year . Cheryl said she hoped her daughter would be proud after she channelled the pain of the loss to force through change.
She said: "I just hope she’s proud of what we’ve done because, at the end of the day, it’s in her name.” Cheryl appeared on Good Morning Britain after the law was announced last year and explained how important Cashman's presence in court would have been to her. She said: "I really did want to address him to tell him the pain that he put us through and we're still going through.
"To have the audacity to be there every day for the whole month and not turn up on the sentencing, it's disrespect to the family and to the judge. I know I read my impact statement out and hopefully at some point, he will have heard it but they're changing the law so no other family is going to go through it.".
