The mother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel has told her killer to “own up” in an emotional video appeal.
In her first public remarks since her daughter was fatally shot in their home in Liverpool, Cheryl Korbel broke down in tears as she paid tribute to her “little shadow”.
She described how Olivia would never stop talking and said: “That’s what I miss the most, because I can’t hear her talk.”
And she said the family had been planning days out and a trip to buy Olivia’s new school uniform before she died.
Wearing a cast on her wrist after she was injured during the shooting, Ms Korbel said she hoped whoever was responsible for the killing would come forward.
“You know you’ve done wrong so you need to own up,” the 46-year-old said.
“Like I’ve taught my kids, you do something wrong, you own up to it.
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“If anyone is hiding these guns, they need to speak up because they need to be off these streets.
“No one, no one at all should have to go through this.”
Ms Korbel said Olivia was “amazing” and “loved life”.
“She was my little shadow. She went everywhere with me,” Ms Korbel added. “Everyone she met, they all fell in love with her. She left a mark on everyone she met.”
“She may well have only been nine but she packed a lot in to those nine years. She never, never stopped talking – and that’s what I miss the most because I can’t hear her talk.
“We were organising days out, we were on the summer holidays. We took Liv swimming.
“We went to Blackpool, just me and Liv. We were talking about going to get a new uniform for school but I didn’t get that chance to get a new uniform.
“But I’ll keep going, for Liv.”
Earlier, Olivia’s father paid tribute to his daughter and said her death “cannot be in vain”, as he called for anyone with information on her death to come forward.
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In a statement, John Francis Pratt and his wider family said: “We don’t want another child to lose their life in such horrendous circumstances and we don’t want to see another family suffer like we are suffering now.
“Olivia’s death cannot be in vain and we want people to feel safe and be safe, that can only happen if we all come together and make sure there is no place for guns, or those who use guns on our streets or in our communities.”
Olivia was shot in her home when a gunman chased convicted burglar Joseph Nee into the property in Dovecot at about 10pm on Monday 22 August.
A post-mortem examination found the medical cause of her death was a gunshot wound to the chest.
A 34-year-old man from Liverpool arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder remains in custody after police were granted an extension to continue questioning him.
Three other men have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
