PICTURED: Drug dealer, 35, who was 'gang target' of Olivia shooting
How real target of gunman who shot dead nine-year-old OIivia was a ‘trusted gang foot soldier’ who posed topless at ‘HMP Butlins’ and was released early from 45-month jail term for burglary
- Career criminal Joseph Nee was seriously injured in Monday night’s shooting in which Olivia was killed
- The 35-year-old was part of a criminal gang that were all sentenced to ten years jail for a string of burglaries
- In 2009, Nee was jailed for six and a half years for serving as a ‘trusted foot soldier’ in a major drugs gang
- Olivia’s heartbroken family today tore into the ‘scum’ gunman who shot her dead at home
- In an emotional Facebook post, they told her vile killer: ‘This picture will haunt you forever’
- ***Do you have any information about the incident? Email [email protected]***
Career criminal Joseph Nee was seriously injured in Monday night’s shooting in which Olivia, 9, was killed and her mother Cheryl wounded
The intended target of the revolting shooting that left little Olivia Pratt-Korbel dead in her home in Liverpool was a ‘trusted foot soldier’ for brutal mobsters who had bragged that life behind bars was akin to a holiday in Butlins before he was released early from his jail term for burglary, it has emerged today.
Career criminal Joseph Nee, 35, has spent significant time behind bars for a host of serious crimes including drugs offences, burglary and theft.
He was previously part of an organised criminal gang that were sentenced to 10 years in jail in total for a string of burglaries across North West England – and were caught after Nee led police on an 125mph chase across Cheshire and Merseyside.
Nee, who lives in the Dovecote area of Liverpool, was sentenced to 45 months in prison in 2018 but was automatically released on licence last year, it is understood.
Photographs of a topless Nee in HMP Kirkham, taken in 2019 and understood to have been shared on Instagram by an accomplice, show him standing in the sun with a group of men as he bragged about life behind bars in captions which reportedly read ‘butlins with bars’ and ‘costa del kirkham’. Kirkham is an open prison which houses 650 men in 24 units. Each unit has a phone and a kitchen, and prisoners have access to a gym and snooker and pool tables.
In 2009, Nee was jailed for six-and-a-half years for serving as a ‘trusted foot soldier’ in a drugs gang that help push heroin and crack cocaine onto the streets of Liverpool.
Nee was wounded in Monday night’s shooting in which nine-year-old Olivia was killed and her mother Cheryl injured after forcing his way into the family home while trying to flee a masked gunman. He was arrested this morning in hospital, where he is being treated for gunshot wounds, for breaching the terms of his release – and he will be sent back to jail to complete his sentence.
Merseyside Police refused to publicly identify Nee, but said a 35-year-old man injured in the shooting would be recalled to prison for breaching the terms of his release.
Olivia’s death is one of three fatal shootings in the area in the space of a week and comes 15 years after 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot dead on his way home from football practice in Croxteth, Liverpool.
Amid mounting fury over the killings, Kieran Mullan, Conservative MP for Crewe and Nantwich, told MailOnline today: ‘The reality is it is a relatively small number of persistent and determined criminals responsible for making the rest of us suffer and, of course, horrendously on this occasion.
‘If early work to get them to turn away from a life of crime doesn’t work, the longer they spend in jail the better for the rest of us.’
It comes as police carried out a series of raids targeting gun crime in the city today as tributes continued to pour in for the tragic schoolgirl.
As Britain reacts with revulsion to the ‘senseless’ killing:
- Locals left flowers at the scene of the death, while Olivia’s headteacher paid tribute to the nine-year-old girl – calling her a ‘much loved member of our school’ with ‘a beautiful smile, a lovely sense of humour, and a bubbly personality’;
- The Bishop of Liverpool denied the city is ‘divided’ over Olivia’s death as Echo front page asked ‘which side are you on’;
- Conservative frontrunner Liz Truss expressed her condolences to Olivia’s family and said she would introduce police force league tables if she became PM;
- She told the Tory leadership hustings hosted by Times Radio: ‘There is a serious problem in this country with gun crime, there’s a serious problem with gangs, there’s a serious problem with knife crime, and I’m absolutely determined we get a grip on that’;
- Ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he called his family to speak with his daughter when he first heard about the shooting;
- Mr Sunak added that the Government needed to ‘finish putting 20,000 more’ police officers on the streets to fight crime.
Olivia Pratt-Korbel, 9, was the tragic victim of suspected gang land shooting in Liverpool after she was left for dead after being gunned down in her own home
Photographs of a topless Nee (furthest left) in HMP Kirkham, taken in 2019 and understood to have been shared onto Instagram by a drug gang baron, showed him bragging about life behind bars and relaxing alongside fellow prisoners in the warm weather
Undated photo of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was shot dead at her home in Liverpool on Monday night
Two wellwishers are pictured with a heart balloon as they pay their respects to the tragic schoolgirl on Wednesday
Nine-year-old Olivia was senselessly and callously murdered by a masked gunman in Liverpool
Police revealed Olivia Pratt-Korbel (left, with her mother, Cheryl, right) was the random victim of a gun battle that saw the shooter barge his way into her family home and open fire with ‘complete disregard’ for anyone inside
Forensic experts continue to examine the scene of the shooting in Kingsheath Avenue, Liverpool on Wednesday
Today police launched a series of raids targeting gun-carrying gangsters following three fatal shootings in Liverpool in nine days
Members of Merseyside Police’s gang matrix task force leaving headquarters today before this morning’s raids
Olivia Pratt-Korbel, who was killed in a horrific shooting in her home in Liverpool
Police revealed that the intended victim’s friends picked him up in an Audi and took him to hospital – leaving Olivia to die
Children are seen sitting in the road on Kingsheath Avenue in front of forensics officers today
Forensic officers are pictured today on Kingsheath Avenue, near to where Olivia was shot
Children leave flowers near to the scene in Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash, Liverpool
Her death is the third fatal shooting in Liverpool in less than a week, and it comes 48 hours after a council worker was killed
Gangster Joseph Nee was today arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of tragic nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
The career criminal, who lives in the Dovecote area of Liverpool, has had a number of run-ins with the law over the past decade.
Nee has spent significant time behind bars for a host of serious crimes including burglary, theft and drugs offences.
He was previously part of a criminal gang that were sentenced to ten years in jail for a string of burglaries across north-west England.
They were only captured following a 125-miles-an-hour police chase through Cheshire and Merseyside. He was sentenced to 45 months in prison in 2018 but was automatically released on licence last year.
Photographs of a topless Nee in HMP Kirkham, taken in 2019 and understood to have been shared onto Instagram by a drug gang baron, showed him bragging about life behind bars alongside fellow inmates.
Using the caption ‘costa del kirkham’ and ‘butlin behind bars’, the prisoners are seen relaxing in the warm weather and posing for the camera.
And in 2009, Nee was jailed for six and a half years for serving as a ‘trusted foot soldier’ in a drugs gang that help push heroin and crack cocaine onto the streets of Liverpool
Police say Nee saw a ‘chink of light’ as Ms Korbel opened the door after hearing the noise outside.
Two sources are thought to have come forward and given the same name of the masked gunman to Merseyside Police as of this morning.
Liverpool City Council councillor Barbara Murray, for Yew Tree ward, said that she or any of her colleagues would be willing to pass on any information anonymously.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘We are more than happy to liaise and be that person and we can pass on information, but there are other agencies. It doesn’t really matter – go to someone you trust, and tell them what you know. And we will protect you. No one will reveal who you are.’
Neighbours have now suggested that the attack may have been connected to a shooting at a children’s playground just yards from Olivia’s home on August 8 – just two weeks ago – where gunmen riding a dark-coloured car shot at a man on an electric bike. Nobody has been arrested for the incident.
One local said: ‘They were just innocent people – that’s what makes it 10 times worse. They were quiet, respectable people. Knowing someone has been shot just because she opened the door. It’s not right. It was the same people involved in the shooting a few weeks ago in Akers Hall park. We know it was. It is two rival gangs chasing after each other.’
A woman in her 50s told The Telegraph: ‘It was the same people involved in the shooting the other week, the same car involved. It is just tit for tat. Pointless.’
Olivia’s death is the third fatal shooting in Liverpool in less than a week, and it comes after a council worker was killed 48 hours ago. Chillingly, Olivia was killed 15 years to the day after 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot dead in Croxteth.
Tributes have now flooded in for Olivia, who attended St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Junior School. A card with messages written in children’s handwriting was left with a bunch of flowers at the scene of the killing. One message read: ‘I will miss you.’
A message from Olivia’s aunt Kim and uncle Tony read: ‘RIP baby girl , can’t believe what has happened, feels like a nightmare. We will miss you so much our sassy queen. Love aunty Kim and uncle Tony.’
Another said: ‘To Olivia, I’m sorry you’re gone.’ A pink star-shaped balloon was also left at the police cordon with ‘Olivia. RIP. We love you’ written on.
Speaking at a press conference, Chief Constable Serena Kennedy appealed to ‘members of the criminal fraternity’ to ‘examine their consciences’ and identify Olivia’s killer.
Do you have any information about the incident?
Email [email protected]
She said: ‘They will have vital information that can help us. The killing of a nine-year-old child is an absolute tragedy and crosses every single boundary, and I would urge them to do the right thing so we can put this person behind bars.’
Olivia’s headteacher Rebecca Wilkinson said: ‘Our school community is devastated at the sad loss of Olivia. We are in shock and disbelief at such tragic news.
‘Olivia was a much loved member of our school. She had a beautiful smile, a lovely sense of humour, and a bubbly personality. She was kind hearted and would go out of her way to help others. She loved to perform and recently participated in the school production of The Wizard of Oz.
‘Olivia will be missed greatly by staff and children at our school. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends at this extremely sad time.’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned the ‘horrific, senseless shooting’, calling it an ‘unimaginable tragedy’, and promising Merseyside Police ‘whatever they need to catch those responsible and secure justice for Olivia’. Home Secretary Priti Patel said Merseyside Police has her ‘full support’.
Forensic officers near to the scene in Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash, Liverpool, where police enquiries are continuing
Olivia was shot in the chest in a house in Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash, just before 10pm on Monday night. Pictured: The scene yesterday cordoned off by police who have also closed the road
An aerial view of the scene on Kingsheath Avenue, showing a cordon around a house which has also taped off the road
‘Once again a dark cloud is over this city and something has got to change’: Foundation for murdered Rhys Jones’ outrage at killing of Olivia Pratt-Korbel
An organisation set up in the memory of murdered schoolboy Rhys Jones has shared its ‘devastation’ at the news of the killing of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
The Rhys Jones Foundation and community centre was established in Croxteth in the wake of the murder of 11-year-old Rhys, who was shot dead when walking home from football training in 2007.
Responding to news of the senseless killing of nine-year-old Olivia on the 15th anniversary of Rhys’ death, the foundation said: ‘The Rhys Jones Foundation are devastated to hear the news that last night a nine-year-old girl sadly lost her life due to gun crime. 15 years to the day that we lost Rhys.
‘This past week has once again put a dark cloud over this city and something has got to change.
‘Our thoughts are with the family of the young girl who was taken last night, as well as the families affected by the tragedies across the city this past week.’
Ashley Dale, who was shot dead on Sunday, was also not the intended target but a victim of ‘mistaken identity’, police believe.
Shockingly, her 16-year-old brother, Lewis, was himself shot dead seven years before by a gang who mistook him for a rival.
Police have not linked the siblings’ killings, nor do they believe Ms Dale’s death is linked to Olivia’s.
The killings have prompted outrage in Liverpool, with local MP Paula Barker condemning the ‘mindless violence’ that had left residents ‘absolutely horrified’.
Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne has said there is ‘lots of anger out there’ following the shooting of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
The Labour MP told BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme: ‘It’s been exceedingly difficult listening to obviously the news this morning and then getting more details this afternoon of the horrific incidents around Olivia’s death.
‘It’s been difficult to process for the whole community.
‘There’s lots and lots of anger out there at the moment. There’s lots of outrage, disbelief that this could happen in our community.’
He went on: ‘At the moment, it’s very raw. People are processing what’s happening, getting more information, as you said by the hour, but there’s a lot of fear and a lot of anger out there at the moment.’
Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson, addressing the murdered girl’s family, said: ‘This is absolutely devastating. The pain you must feel right now is unimaginable. This is a tragedy that will shake our communities.’
In a separate incident last night, a woman in her 50s – named locally as Karen Dempsey, was stabbed to death in a pub car park in Kirkby, Merseyside after reportedly trying to break up a fight. Two men have been arrested.
In addition, police are still searching for two people who fled on electric bikes following the fatal shooting of a man in his early 20s in inner-city Toxteth late on August 16.
Just last month, a teenage boy was jailed for the murder of 12-year-old Ava White, who was stabbed to death in Liverpool city centre following a row over a Snapchat video last November.
Last night Olivia’s cousin Rebecca promised to get justice for ‘our little Liv’ in an emotional Facebook tribute.
She said: ‘We haven’t just lost ‘Our Liv’, we’ve lost a daughter, a sister, a niece, a cousin and a granddaughter. Our little Liv who was full of life, full of sass and most definitely knew what she wanted in life. You had so much potential and a full life to lead beautiful.’
She added: ‘We WILL find who did this and we WILL get justice for you baby girl… Let’s put this into action and get these weapons off our street’s… No other child should have to lose their lives to these senseless crimes.’
Ashley Dale, 28, was gunned down in her home in Old Swan, Liverpool on Sunday. Police do not believe the two murders are linked
Police forensic officers at the scene of shooting of Ms Dale in Liverpool in Leinster Road, the Old Swan area of the city
Merseyside Police were also called to Brambles pub on Cherryfield Drive at around 8.10pm where they found a woman with a stab wound. She was taken to hospital in a serious condition but died
Bishop of Liverpool denies city is ‘divided’ over Olivia’s death in row over Echo front page
The Bishop of Liverpool has denied the city is ‘divided’ over the death of Olivia Pratt-Korbel as police appeal for the community’s help to find her killer.
The nine-year-old was fatally shot on Monday evening as a gunman attempted to force his way into her family home in Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash.
Merseyside Police have warned against a ‘no-grass’ culture taking hold among locals, while the Liverpool Echo has urged readers not to ‘surrender our city to the thugs’.
Interviewed on BBC Breakfast, Bishop Tom Williams said the community is angry about Olivia’s death.
‘The one thing that gets me is that people get the impression that we’re a divided city, you know, there’s criminals and everything else,’ he said.
‘It’s not divided 50/50, there’s a very small percentage, and it’s them getting all the headlines all the time I think, which upsets me most of all.’
He criticised the Liverpool Echo’s front page – which asked readers ‘Whose side are you on?’ – and said criminals make up a ‘very small minority’ of the city.
Ms Dale was the first woman to be murdered with a gun in Liverpool since 22-year-old mother Lucy Hargreaves was shot dead on her sofa by three masked men as her children, aged nine months, two, and five, slept upstairs. Her murderer has never been brought to justice.
There were 211 firearms offences on Merseyside from April 2021 to March 2022 compared to 140 the year before – a rise of 51 per cent.
However, the figures have been distorted by a drop in Covid, with the 227 firearms offences in 2019 to 2020 comparable to this year’s figure. Longer term . In July, police said the number of reports of weapons being discharged was at a 20-year low.
Today’s neighbours of Olivia’s family spoke of their disgust at her killing.
One resident, who did not want to be named, said: ‘It’s really disgusting, and it will not be tolerated around here. I believe because a child was involved people will name the culprit and he deserves to be named because he is a coward.’
Another local described hearing four gunshots, while a woman, who asked not to be named, said the tragedy made her worry for her own children.
‘It’s devastating. It can’t carry on like this,’ she said. ‘I have four boys and for this to happen on our own doorstep is shocking.
‘The streets here are always full of kids playing.’
Helen Alohan, 49, described Kingsheath Avenue as a close-knit community where local children played together on the street.
Police said house-to-house, CCTV and forensic enquiries are in the process of being carried out, while a cordon is also in place.
Ashley Dale was gunned down outside the property in Old Swan shortly after midnight on Sunday.
No arrests have so far been made.
Gunman are thought to have burst through the door of her £70,000 three-bedroom terraced home, where she ‘lived largely on her own’, and sprayed bullets inside.
Police were called by neighbours reporting the sound of what they thought were gunshots or fireworks, and officers found Miss Dale fatally injured in the back garden.
Merseyside Police believe the property was purposefully targeted, but Miss Dale was not the intended victim. She was treated at the scene but died later in hospital.
A car was found with flat tyres outside, with police saying it was used by her and registered to her family.
The vehicle has now been removed to be examined.
In a statement, Miss Dale’s family said yesterday: ‘Ashley, our girl – our shining light. Our hearts are broken into a million pieces. Ashley was a hard-working young woman who had her entire life ahead of her.
‘She had just been promoted at her job with Knowsley Council. She had a degree and so many plans for her bright future that had only just begun. Her laugh, smile and energy was infectious in any room.
‘We can’t come to terms with how this would happen to a defenceless woman in her own home. None of this makes sense and our lives will never be the same again. A senseless crime that has torn a family apart. Justice needs to be brought.’
A police officer on Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash, where Olivia died
Several police cars are pictured on Kingsheath Avenue as officers continue to hunt the gunman responsible for Olivia’s death
A man was also shot in the body while a woman also suffered gunshot wounds to the hand. Both are in hospital being treated for their injuries. Pictured: Police patrolling the scene
Ava White (pictured) was stabbed in the neck at the junction of School Lane and Church Alley in Liverpool city centre on November 25 last year
Her own brother Lewis Dunne was shot dead in 2015 aged just 16 by a gang who mistook him for a rival. Police described him as ‘wholly innocent’ and said he had simply been ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time’.
Tributes were paid to Miss Dale yesterday, including from her former colleague Carol Tunstall who wrote on social media: ‘So very sad. Ashley worked with us a good few years back. Such a beautiful, lovely young girl.’
Her alma mater, Liverpool John Moores University, also fondly remembered the 28-year-old when she was a ‘popular student’ who was hoping for a career in local government.
Graeme Mitchell, senior lecturer in public health at Liverpool John Moores University, told MailOnline: ‘We remember Ashley as a keen and popular student who was looking forward to a career in public service.
‘She has recently obtained her registration as an environmental health practitioner and had secured a promotion within Knowsley Council.
‘She obtained her degree, despite the personal tragedy of having her brother killed. We’re all in shock at the moment.’
Meanwhile, Merseyside Police were called to Brambles pub on Cherryfield Drive at around 8.10pm where they found a woman with a stab wound. She was taken to hospital in a serious condition but died.
In the same incident, a man in his 30s is also being treated in hospital after being stabbed in his arm and body.
Officers have detained a 38-year-old man on suspicion of s18 and affray while a 32-year-old man later handed himself in and was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Detective Inspector Laura Lamping said: ‘We are currently in the very early stages of an investigation as we seek to establish what has taken place.
‘We believe there was an altercation which started inside the premises and carried on outside. Sadly, a woman suffered a stab wound which proved to be fatal.
‘We currently have two people in custody but out enquiries remain ongoing. I would ask anyone who was in the vicinity of Cherryfield Drive who saw or heard anything or has any information which could assist the investigation to contact us as a matter of urgency.’
Merseyside Police have asked anyone with information on the Knotty Ash shootings to direct message @MerPolCC or call @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111 quoting log 1083 of August 22.
Tragic death toll of Liverpool’s gun crime: How firearm-wielding gangsters have spilt blood on streets of Merseyside as girl, nine, is shot dead 15 years to the day after Rhys Jones, 11, was killed
By Harry Howard for MailOnline
Last night’s murder of a nine-year-old girl in Liverpool came 15 years to the day since 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot dead in the city while walking home from football.
The death of the little boy, a devoted fan of Everton football club, triggered national uproar – but gun crime in Liverpool is still sadly all too familiar.
There were 211 firearms offences on Merseyside from April 2021 to March 2022 compared to 140 the year before – a rise of 51 per cent.
However, the figures have been distorted by a drop in Covid, with the 227 firearms offences in 2019 to 2020 comparable to this year’s figure.
The latest gun killing in the Old Swan area of Liverpool was the third in the space of a week.
On Sunday, 28-year-old woman Ashley Dale was shot dead in the same area, whilst 22-year-old ‘amazing young man’ Sam Rimmer died from gunshot wounds on August 16 in Dingle.
Ms Dale was the sister of 16-year-old Lewis Dunne, who was gunned down on a canal towpath in 2016.
Two years before Rhys’s death, mother-of-three Lucy Hargreaves was shot dead by three masked men while sitting on her sofa in her home – as her children aged nine months, five and two slept upstairs.
And in 2004, 16-year-old Liam Kelly was gunned down in the street over an unpaid £200 debt, and his killer remains at large.
Besides the latest killings, there have been a spate of shootings in recent weeks and months in Liverpool, with a man shot in the leg outside a pub on July 31 and bullets shattering a window opposite a children’s play park on June 8.
Experts have previously told how, since Rhys’s killing, gangs in Liverpool have become less sophisticated but more reckless, meaning violence can break out over seemingly meaningless rows.
Residents of an estate in the Wavertree area – where there were three shootings in three days earlier this year – describing how it is ‘normal’ to hear gun shots as criminals fight over drug-selling territory.
The Woodchurch estate in Wirral has also been hit by gun crime. On March 22, a gunman opened fire on a man while children were playing nearby, leaving him critically injured.
Another incident in the same area in June saw a gang of masked men carrying weapons burst into a pub.
Other shootings have erupted in the Croxteth area, with one on July 10 involving a gunman on an electric bike who shot a man multiple times in the leg.
Despite the crimes, the number of actual shootings on Merseyside is on the decline. According to Merseyside Police, there were 43 shootings last year, compared to 125 in 2012. The figures represent a 43 per cent fall.
And the latest fatal shootings were the first in more than a year, after 26-year-old Patrick Boyle was shot dead last July.
Today, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy named the girl murdered last night as Olivia Pratt-Korbel and said her ‘family are absolutely devastated, inconsolable and heartbroken’.
There were 211 firearms offences on Merseyside from April 2021 to March 2022 compared to 140 the year before – a rise of 51 per cent
Rhys Jones, killed aged 11 in 2007
The 11-year-old was shot dead in 2007 while walking home from football practice in Croxteth.
The child was caught in the crossfire between two warring gangs – the Strand Gang and the Croxteth Crew.
Sean Mercer – who was 16 at the time of the shooting – was convicted of his murder and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 22 years.
The bullet fired from the Smith and Wesson gun that was used had been intended for Mercer’s rival Wayne Brady.
Rhys Jones, aged just 11, was shot dead in 2007 while walking home from football practice in Croxteth. The child was caught in the crossfire between two warring gangs – the Strand Gang and the Croxteth Crew. Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of his death
Mercer’s accomplices were also sent to prison. Jason Yates was jailed for seven years aged 20 for supplying the Smith and Wesson pistol.
Sean Mercer – who was 16 at the time of the shooting – was convicted of his murder and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 22 years
He also helped Mercer to cover his tracks by washing him in petrol in the hope of destroying evidence.
In 2009, Yates was jailed for a further five years after his sentence was judged to have been unduly lenient.
Nathan Quinn, then 18, was jailed for two years for helping Mercer to get rid of the murder weapon and his clothes.
The other accomplices, Melvin Coy and Gary Kays, were sentenced to seven years each, whilst Dean Kelly was jailed for four years.
When the gang were sentenced, Mr Justice Irwin branded them ‘selfish, shallow criminals, remarkable only by the danger you pose to others.’
Speaking last year, Rhys’s father Steve recounted the moment he heard the news that was told by Rhys’s mother Melanie that he had been shot:
‘I was on the M57 heading up towards Southport when Mel phoned saying that Rhys had been shot and I needed to go home,’ he said.
‘She sounded distraught, absolutely in tears, you could hear in her voice.’ With Mel now at the scene, Rhys was rushed to hospital.’
He added: ‘Your mind just doesn’t want to take it in, doesn’t want to accept it.’
The Daily Mail covered the death of Rhys Jones extensively and featured the heartbreaking words of his mother and father Steve and Melanie
Ashley Dale, shot dead aged 28 on Sunday
Ashley Dale was a graduate of Liverpool John Moores University and worked for Knowsley Council. The 28-year-old, described as a ‘lovely, hardworking’ young woman with an ‘infectious’ smile, was shot dead in her home in Old Swan on Sunday
Ashley Dale was a graduate of Liverpool John Moores University and worked for Knowsley Council.
The 28-year-old, described as a ‘lovely, hardworking’ young woman with an ‘infectious’ smile, was shot dead in her home in Old Swan on Sunday.
Thugs are thought to have burst through the door of her £70,000 three-bedroom terraced home, where she ‘lived largely on her own’, and sprayed bullets inside.
Police were called by neighbours reporting the sound of what they thought were gunshots or fireworks, and officers found graduate Miss Dale in the back garden.
Merseyside Police believe the property was purposefully targeted, but Miss Dale was not the intended victim. She was treated at the scene but died later in hospital.
A car was found with flat tyres outside, with police saying it was used by Miss Dale and registered to her family. The vehicle has now been removed to be examined.
Ms Dale’s death came seven years after her own brother Lewis Dunne was shot dead aged 16 by a gang who mistook him for a rival, although her death is said to be unrelated to this.
Lewis Dunne, shot dead aged 16 in 2015
Ms Dale’s brother, Lewis Dunne, was gunned down on a canal towpath in 2015 aged just 16.
The ‘kind, gentle’ boy was ‘wholly innocent’ had simply been ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time,’ police said. Police have not linked the siblings’ killings.
Lewis Dunne was on his way to a shop when he walked into the path of four men lying in wait with a loaded weapon and with ‘murderous intent’, Liverpool Crown Court was told.
On the day of his death, Sunday November 15, Lewis had arranged to meet a friend on the canal towpath to borrow his bicycle.
In 2016, Jake Culshaw, then 26, and brothers John and Paul Martin, then aged 20 and 26 respectively, were jailed for life.
Ms Dale’s brother, Lewis Dunne (pictured with his sister), was gunned down on a canal towpath in 2015 aged just 16. The ‘kind, gentle’ boy was ‘wholly innocent’ had simply been ‘in the wrong place at the wrong time,’ police said. Police have not linked the siblings’ killings
Lewis’s mother Gemma Whitfield said after the men were convicted: ‘Lewis was my baby. I was 20 years old when he came into my life and young myself but already older than he would get to be. From the moment I held him in my arms I felt love.
‘I could talk for hours about about Lewis. A smile that would light up a room, a hug that would lessen the worries of the world and a gift for making everyone feel important. You could not be sad in his presence.
‘There is nothing he would not have done for anybody. Wherever he went he got along with people.
‘Lewis was a gentle, peace-loving boy, vibrant and oh so alive, but now he is dead.’
Sam Rimmer, shot dead aged 22 on August 16
Sam Rimmer was shot dead last Tuesday, before two men fled the scene on electric bikes.
Sam Rimmer was shot dead last Tuesday, before two men fled the scene on electric bikes
The 22-year-old was given CPR until paramedics arrived and he was taken to hospital, where he died.
Two men in dark clothing were seen leaving the scene. Merseyside Police said a ‘number of shots’ were fired.
Mr Rimmer’s death was the first murder involving a firearm in Merseyside in more than a year, after Patrick Boyle was killed last July.
Mr Rimmer was described in tributes as ‘an amazing young man’, with his killing branded ‘senseless.’
A series of five loud bangs were reportedly heard when Mr Rimmer was shot.
It is not clear if Mr Rimmer was the intended target of the shooting.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen said it was ‘a despicable attack’ and the victim’s family were ‘desperately trying to come to terms with their loss’.
‘We need to find those responsible, and I would ask members of the public who may have information which could help us bring those people to justice to put themselves in the shoes of Sam’s family and think about what they are going through and the pain this has caused them,’ he said.
‘If you live in the area, or were passing through at about 11.40pm on Tuesday, you may have seen something that could be vital for us and I would urge you to get in touch.’
Patrick Boyle, 26 – July 2021
Patrick Boyle was shot twice in the chest in the Newway area of Liverpool on July 1st last year after a row with killers Rueben Murphy and Ben Doyle.
On the day of the murder Murphy was involved in an altercation with another man, Scott Brown, who he claimed owed him money for cannabis and was a friend of the victim.
Mr Boyle was also there, and it appears to have escalated quickly with the thug plotting to kill the victim the same day.
Patrick Boyle (pictured) was shot twice in the chest in the Newway area of Liverpool on July 1st last year after a row with killers Rueben Murphy and Ben Doyle
After picking up the weapon and ammunition, he was picked up by Doyle and driven on an electric bike disguised with black bin bags wrapped around it, to a house in Newway, Huyton, shortly before 6pm, where he opened fire.
Mr Boyle, who had a three-year-old son and was expecting another with his pregnant partner, Ashleigh Dean, died within an hour due to his injuries – Ms Dean was not able to reach the hospital before he died.
Murphy had denied any role in the shooting, claiming he was doing drugs in another part of Huyton at the time.
But police found a treasure trove of evidence, including clothing containing gunshot residue and his DNA in his home, while CCTV also showed he was in the area at the time.
A jury convicted him and Doyle of murder. The pair were jailed for life, with a minimum term of 27 years.
When Murphy was sentenced in July, he branded the judge at Liverpool Crown Court a ‘fat paedophile’ and also shouted ‘f**k the system’.
Rueben Murphy (pictured left), from Huyton, screamed and shouted as he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 31 years for murder. Ben Doyle (right) was also jailed for life and given a minimum term of 27 years for his role in the murder
Lucy Hargreaves, shot dead on her sofa aged 22 in 2005
The 22-year-old mother-of-three was shot dead on her sofa in the Walton area of Liverpool in 2005 by three masked men as her children, aged nine months, two, and five, slept upstairs.
Mother-of-three Lucy Hargreaves was shot dead on her sofa in 2005
The gang then set her on fire. No one has ever been brought to justice for one of Liverpool’s most notorious unsolved murders.
On the night of her murder the duvet cover Lucy was sleeping under was covered in petrol and set alight.
Fuel was also poured around the entrance and stairs of the property to block any escape for those upstairs.
Gary Campbell, Lucy’s boyfriend, who may have been the intended target, was sleeping upstairs with the couple’s youngest daughter Faye.
He escaped the blaze by jumping with his daughter from an upstairs window, before running inside to pull Lucy out.
Tragically, his girlfriend had died from the gunshot wounds.
Despite his heroic actions on the night, Mr Campbell is believed to have been the target because of his past.
Mr Campbell had allegedly been a passenger in a stolen car that hit and killed a four-year-old boy in 1993.
The child who had died was the brother of one of the defendants in the original case.
Tony Downes, stood trial at Liverpool Crown Court, but the case against him and Kirk Bradley, 21, both of Huyton, was dropped.
Police continue to hunt suspect Kevin Parle over Lucy’s death, as well as that of 16-year-old Liam Kelly, who was shot dead in 2004.
Liam Kelly, shot dead aged 16 over £200 debt – 2005
Liam Kelly is believed to have been shot dead due to an unpaid debt of just £200. Anthony Campbell, who was owed the money, pleaded guilty to arranging the teenager’s murder and was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of more than two decades
Liam Kelly is believed to have been shot dead due to an unpaid debt of just £200.
He was shot twice at close range by a masked man carrying a double-barrelled shotgun.
He staggered to a neighbour’s house but then collapsed and died shortly afterwards.
Anthony Campbell, who was owed the money, pleaded guilty to arranging the teenager’s murder and was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of more than two decades.
However, no one has been convicted of Kelly’s murder.
The police’s prime suspect is Kevin Parle, who has been wanted by officers for the past 16 years. He is also wanted over the killing of Lucy Hargreaves.
Parle was arrested in connection with Kelly’s killing but then failed to answer his bail and absconded from the UK.
In a statement, last year, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Baker, of Merseyside Police, said: ‘Despite time passing, we are continuing to investigate Liam’s murder.
‘His family have suffered greatly knowing that Kevin Parle could be out there somewhere and hasn’t been put before the courts.
‘Kevin has denied a teenager reaching major milestones in his life – including family celebrations, birthdays, careers and relationships – something so many of us take for granted.
‘When Liam was murdered, his mother Mary made a heartfelt plea directly to his friends and associates where she begged them to tell the police anything that might help us bring his killers to justice.
Merseyside’s bloody year: At least 14 people killed in the first eight months of the year following a spate of violence
At least 14 people have been killed in Merseyside just eight months into the year, police data suggests, as the county reels from the fatal shooting of a nine-year-old girl.
The spate of violence across the region in 2022 has included the shooting of a 15-year-old girl on her way home from school and the stabbing of a 14-year-old boy in Liverpool city centre.
Merseyside Police have issued press releases concerning 14 suspected killings, 11 non-fatal stabbings and 13 non-fatal shootings since the start of 2022.
By comparison, there were 17 homicides recorded by the force across the whole of 2021/22, according to the latest Home Office figures.
Violent crime across the region has been increasing consistently in recent years, according to the Home Office data.
There were 68,720 cases of violence against the person recorded in 2021/22, a figure that has been climbing year on year, up from 45,848 recorded in 2018/19.
Here is a list of the suspected killings, non-fatal stabbings and non-fatal shootings announced by Merseyside Police since the start of 2022:
Suspected killings –
22 August – Olivia Pratt-Korbel, nine, is shot dead in Knotty Ash.
22 August – Two men are arrested over the fatal stabbing of a woman in her 50s in Cherryfield Drive, Kirkby.
21 August – 28-year-old Knowsley Council worker Ashley Dale died after being shot in the Old Swan area of Liverpool in the early hours of Sunday.
19 August – Sam Rimmer, 19, is shot dead in Lavrock Bank.
27 July – Leroy Venner is killed in Anfield, suffering head injuries and sparking a murder probe.
12 July – Christopher Molly, 55, is killed in Stanley Road, Bootle.
15 May – Derek Burns, 49, is stabbed to death in Tuebrook.
12 May – Karen Wheeler, 62, dies after police attended a flat in Vittoria Court, on Vittoria Close, at around 7.15pm, in response to a report of concern for her welfare. A man has been charged with her murder.
11 May – 43-year-old Lorraine Cullen’s body is found in a property on Radway Road at around 8.30am after she was stabbed to death. A 21-year-old man arrested on suspicion of her murder is questioned by police and detained under the Mental Health Act.
16 April – Michael Toohey is killed following an attack in an internet cafe in Liverpool.
10 April – 36-year-old Gary Morgan, found stabbed at a house in Lavan Close, Everton, dies of his injuries.
27 March – Five people are arrested on suspicion of murder after the body of a man was found in Pensby earlier in the day.
14 March – Dylan Bacon, 39, is stabbed to death in Old Swan.
24 January – A murder probe is launched following the death of a man in his 60s found with serious injuries at a property in Heswall at around 8.45pm on 14 January.
– Non-fatal stabbings
6 August- 19-year-old man is charged with GBH with intent and possession of a bladed article after a stabbing at a pub in Thatto Heath area.
29 June- Police launch an investigation after a 19-year-old man was stabbed in the leg after a confrontation with a group of men in Wavertree.
17 June – Two men are stabbed in an altercation outside a wine bar in Queens Square, police say.
25 May – A 14-year-old boy is stabbed in Campbell Square, Liverpool city centre.
15 May – Officers were called at just before 7.35am to Jubits Lane in St Helens following reports a 23-year-old man had suffered puncture wounds to the leg
8 March – A 16-year-old boy is stabbed in Formby.
21 March – A man is arrested following a stabbing in Birkenhead on 21 March.
3 March – A teenage boy is taken to hospital after he received puncture wounds to his buttocks and a laceration to his wrist at around 3pm. The injuries were not life-threatening.
19 February – At around 5.30pm, police receive a report that a man has been stabbed in Thatto Heath.
15 February – A man is stabbed three times in the buttocks by a group of unknown attackers outside Aldi on Broad Green Road in Old Swan.
30 January – Officers are called to an address on Colbert Close, Wirral to reports that a man had been stabbed in the neck.
– Non-fatal shootings
2 August – Police attend a scene in Walton following reports of an injury shooting.
31 July – Officers receive reports of a man shot in the leg in the car park of a pub on Church Road in Rainford.
10 July – Investigation launched after reports of a man shot and injured in the Croxteth area.
6 July – Two men arrested after man shot in the legs in West Derby.
11 May – At around 10.40pm, a 17-year-old male arrived at Arrowe Park Hospital in Birkenhead with a gunshot wound to his leg.
5 May – Detectives appeal for witnesses to come forward following a shooting in Fazakerley.
26 April – Another injury shooting takes place in Wavertree in the early hours of the morning.
19 April – At around 3pm officers were called to a report that a man had been shot in an alleyway on Rosalind Way, suffering serious injuries.
20 March – Police arrest three men following reports a man was shot and injured in Croxteth on the night of 20 March.
22 March – A man suffers life-changing injuries after being shot in the Woodchurch area of Merseyside.
1 March – An ‘innocent’ 15-year-old girl shot while standing at a bus stop on her way home from school on Upper Warwick Street, police say. A 20 year-old man also suffered a non life-threatening gunshot injury to his hand in the incident.
16 January – A man in his 20s attends the Royal Liverpool University Hospital with gunshot wounds to his chest and arms.
1 January – A 33-year-old man is shot in the torso at a car park at the Netherton pub on Church Road as he entered a car. He was taken to hospital for treatment and has since been discharged.
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