The killer of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel will not have his 42-year jail term increased, the Solicitor General has said.
A number of requests were made for the sentence for Thomas Cashman, 34, to be increased after he was jailed for life for shooting Olivia dead at her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on August 22 last year.
He was chasing convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee, who tried to run into the little girl’s home in a bid to escape.
Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson KC said: “Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s senseless murder at the hands of Thomas Cashman shocked and sickened the nation.
“Because of the strong feelings this case evokes, it was little surprise that I received several requests under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, to consider the sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 42 years that was handed down to him.
“My duty as a Law Officer in considering whether sentences may be unduly lenient is to act independently of government, even when it is not easy or popular.
“Having received detailed legal advice and considered the issues raised very carefully, I have concluded Cashman’s case cannot properly be referred to the Court of Appeal.
“The test is only met if the sentencing judge made a gross error or imposed a sentence outside the range reasonably available in the circumstances of the offending.
“My thoughts remain with Olivia’s family and friends who have shown such immeasurable strength during this devastating time.”
Father-of-two Cashman, a high-level Liverpool drug dealer, has launched his own appeal against his sentence, with lawyers arguing the penalty is too harsh.
