The Staircase

The brother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel has described hearing her say " I'm scared" before she was shot.

Thomas Cashman, 34, is accused of fatally shooting Olivia and injuring her mother, Cheryl Korbel, 46, at their home in Liverpool on 22 August.

In a video interview played to The Jury at Manchester Crown Court , Ryan Korbel recalled how His Mother put " Liv in my arms" but he " knew it was over".

Mr Cashman, who is On Trial , denies being The Gunman .

The Court heard how The Gunman opened fire after chasing Joseph Nee, who is said to be The Intended target of The Attack , into their house.

Mr Korbel said he had been in his room when he heard three loud bangs.

He Said : " The Next thing I Heard was footsteps across The Landing .

" It was Olivia, she was running downstairs screaming: 'Mum, I'm scared'. "

A Police Officer asked Mr Korbel if he knew what Olivia was scared of.

He Said : " No, she literally said 'I'm scared mummy, I'm scared'.

" Then I Heard her footsteps.

" Downstairs She Said it another two times, 'I'm scared, I'm scared' And Then Everything Else just kicked off. "

Mr Korbel said he went to The Landing and saw Olivia four or five steps up from the bottom of The Staircase , A Man lying on the floor and His Mother " wrestling" with The Door .

He Said His Mother and Mr Nee then managed to shut The Door .

" The Door 's burst back open but my mum's behind it.

" An arm's come round The Door with a black handgun and another shot's gone off, it could be two, I can't remember.

" Olivia was in hysterics, my mum was in hysterics, my 18-year-old sister was in hysterics, we all were. "

Asked to describe The Arm he saw around The Door , Mr Korbel said: " All I seen was an arm, a hand and a gun. "

He told officers that Mr Nee was sitting on the doorstep And Then went outside, where he followed and was " screaming abuse".

He Said : " I didn't know My Sister had been hit at this point.

" He collapsed in The Middle of The Road . "

He Said he went back inside and Mr Nee was picked up by two men in an SUV.

Mr Korbel told police: " My mum put Liv in my arms and told me to keep pressure on her chest.

" I didn't know why until I lifted her pyjama top up and seen a hole. "

He Said a neighbour came in and gave CPR to Olivia, adding " I knew it was over. "

Mr Korbel said Mr Nee was injured but he did not think he had been shot while inside The House .

Two of Ms Korbel's neighbours had been in her lounge for tea before The Attack .

Hayley Freeman said she heard loud bangs outside and said Ms Korbel went to The Front door to find out what was going on, when Mr Nee, pursued by The Gunman , tried to get into The House .

She Said Ms Korbel tried to slam The Door and block His Way .

In a statement, Ms Freeman said: " I remember Cheryl screaming and The Sound of a struggle.

" We both got up and ran into the back kitchen. We shut The Door and called 999.

" I Heard another bang and saw a flash. I then heard Cheryl screaming, I remember her saying Liv's name and that Liv had been shot. "

Ms Freeman's partner, Rob Lamb, who was Next Door , ran over and took a phone from her as she was calling The Emergency services.

He Said : " Then I was told The Baby , Olivia, had been shot then saw Cheryl over her saying, 'Stay with me baby'.

" I believe she was Still Breathing at this point. I think she then stopped breathing and The Operator took me through starting CPR. "

PC Daniel Cooper, part of the Armed Response unit from Merseyside Police , was The First officer on The Scene .

In his statement, He Said : " As I looked at The Stairs , I could see a female with an obvious injury to her hand sat crying and shouting hysterically. "

He Said he then noticed Olivia.

" An adult male was carrying out CPR with his phone beside him on speaker phone.

" I could see a small bullet entry wound to her chest area, just above her stomach. "

" I decided Olivia needed urgent medical attention. I picked her up in my arms and carried her down The Stairs .

Pc Cooper said he remembered her body being " limp".

He told a colleague that " we needed to go straight to hospital as Olivia had a gunshot wound to the chest".

Mr Cashman, of Grenadier Drive, West Derby , Liverpool, denies the murder of Olivia, the attempted murder of Mr Nee, wounding with intent to do grievous Bodily Harm to Olivia's mother, and two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

The Trial continues.

Source of news: bbc.com