Parents of Merseyside shooting victims launch scheme to stop young people turning to crime
Four families united by tragedy have come together for a new Merseyside Police initiative
The parents of victims killed in shootings in 2022, including nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, have come together in the hope of preventing young people turning to a life of crime.
Cheryl Korbel was injured when Thomas Cashman fired shots into her home, killing her daughter, on August 22 2022.
Ms Korbel joined other bereaved relatives to launch a new Merseyside Police education initiative, four years on from the spate of shootings.
She said: “Hopefully, it makes a big difference and people think twice before even picking a weapon up.”
In the same week that Olivia died, 28-year-old Ashley Dale was killed in her home in Old Swan, Liverpool, and Sam Rimmer, 22, was fatally injured in the Dingle area of the city.
On Christmas Eve that year, beautician Elle Edwards, 26, was killed when a gunman fired shots into a group of people outside the Lighthouse pub in Wirral, Merseyside.
The parents of the four victims gathered at Olivia’s Tree – the memorial in Dovecot close to where the schoolgirl lived – to launch the Dear Merseyside initiative, which has been named after a poem by Joseph Roberts.
As the anniversary of Olivia’s death approached, Ms Korbel said she had to “take every day as it comes, one step in front of the other”.
She added: “Olivia should have turned 13 on June 13 2026. She would be in high school with her friends, sharing the excitement of becoming a teenager. Instead, we are left holding the milestones she never got to reach.”
Julie Dale, the mother of 28-year-old environmental health worker Ms Dale, said: “Obviously August is a difficult time for us, but I just think every day is difficult.”
She said the families, who were strangers before the tragedies, had provided support for each other over the last four years.
“We get it, we get what each other are going through,” she said.
“We help each other loads.
“People can say, ‘Oh, we know how you’re feeling’. Not until your child’s been murdered. No-one knows how you’re feeling.”
In the wake of the murders, Merseyside Police was given funding by the Home Office to begin a Clear, Hold, Build operation, known locally as EVOLVE, bringing together police, local authorities and other agencies to tackle serious organised crime and create safer neighbourhoods.
In September, the scheme will launch the Dear Merseyside resource in schools and youth organisations, using the families’ stories to try and encourage young people to think differently about violence, exploitation and the choices they make.
In a statement, the families said: “We have chosen to support this resource because we want young people to hear the human stories behind the headlines.
“We hope they see that every act of violence leaves families, friends and communities living with its consequences forever.
“If this helps even one young person to think differently, make a better choice or stay safe, it matters.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Grounds, the head of EVOLVE for Merseyside Police, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the families for helping create a lasting legacy from unimaginable loss.
“We hope this resource inspires young people across Merseyside to make positive choices, support one another and help build safer, stronger communities for generations to come.”