Without the evidence of a key witness, Thomas Cashman may not have been brought to justice A senior detective said: 'In my 30 years as a police officer, I've never seen such bravery’
during a bungled hit might have fallen the way of so many of Merseyside’s gangland crimes but for the bravery of one key witness.
On the other side of the witness box, standing in front of the judge dressed in traditional black gown and wig, was Mr Cooper – one of the country’s top barristers, who has worked on high-profile criminal and civil cases for more than four decades. It was a contrast in backgrounds that fuelled what became a heated and, at times, deeply uncomfortable exchange between defence lawyer and prosecution witness.
But on the morning of 23 August, the woman woke up to blanket news coverage of the death of Olivia Pratt-Korbel and realised what Cashman had done, she told the court.Not only did she have to show astounding courage to come and give evidence in person amid a tense atmosphere at Manchester Crown Court, the woman also had to discuss in public intimate details of her personal life due to Cashman’s refusal to admit his guilt.
However, her identity is clearly known to Cashman. She will have been keenly aware that, owing to Cashman’s profile as a highly dangerous criminal, he was being brought into court under armed guard from a maximum security prison.Jurors heard that when she first came forward to police in September last year, the woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender before detectives established she was a cooperating witness.
It was even suggested that the fact she had been to the gym and a nail salon the day after the shooting showed she was not scared by what had happened. But, giving as good as she got at every turn, the woman responded: “Am I being shouted at for getting my nails done?”
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