Gun 'may have malfunctioned', Oliva Pratt-Korbel murder trial is told
16.03.2023 - 01:13
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A jury has heard how a Glock style self-loading handgun apparently malfunctioned as a gunman stood over his "intended target" moments before Olivia Pratt-Korbel was killed.
Manchester Crown Court heard how three shots were fired from the 9mm semi-automatic gun at 36-year-old Joseph Nee, who was walking with a friend called Paul Abraham on Kingsheath Avenue, Liverpool, on August 22 last year. The gunman then switched to a second firearm, a revolver, firing a further two shots - including the one that killed the nine-year-old schoolgirl and injured her mum, Cheryl Korbel.
The prosecution claims that the gunman that evening was 34-year-old Thomas Cashman, of Grenadier Drive, West Derby. Cashman denies Olivia's murder or any involvement in the shootings.
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Today the jury heard from firearms expert and forensic scientist Andre de Villiers Horne. Based on CCTV footage of Nee being shot, he told the court two shots were fired from the Glock in "quick succession" with the third shot five seconds later.
One of the first two shots caused a "perforating injury" to Joseph Nee's lower abdomen, while the third fragmented after hitting a house.
The CCTV footage showed Nee hitting the ground after two loud bangs, while Mr Abraham fled for his life. The gunman then stands over Nee, and a third loud bang is heard. However, Nee is able to scramble to his feet and run away.
Mr De Villiers Horne told the jury that the empty cartridge from the third shot had not been recovered, which he said suggested it had stuck in the Glock. He said: "It is possible that the 9mm pistol used by the gunman may have malfunctioned during an apparent struggle. The cartridge case was not ejected as