Children's park close to memorial for Oliva Pratt Korbel is set ablaze (2025)

A charity set up in the name of murdered schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel has hit out at mindless yobs who set fire to land and equipment close to a tree planted in her memory.

The Olivia's Butterfly Foundation, established by a cousin of her mother, Cheryl, said they were left heartbroken and ‘extremely disappointed’ by the blaze on Monday night.

The memorial was created by the Foundation, on land near Finch Lane, in Liverpool, close to where nine-year-old Olivia was shot dead, in August 2022.

She died after being struck by a bullet fired by gangland hitman Thomas Cashman, 34, who burst into her home while trying to kill rival Joseph Nee, who had forced his way inside in a bid to escape.

Mrs Korbel, who turns 49 today, was also shot in the terrifying chase.

Police are investigating the fire, which destroyed a large pile of plastic barriers left on the park by a company helping the charity.

Next to a video of the mangled equipment, a spokesman for the Foundation wrote: ‘Unfortunately, this is the aftermath of children playing with fire on the Finch Lane land where Olivia’s memorial tree sits.

‘This equipment belongs to HA Civils, a local company who, out of the kindness of their own hearts, are actually helping us develop that land which will in turn benefit the local children and our community.

‘We are extremely disappointed and it breaks our hearts to see a local firm lose out on so much financially and our land destroyed.’

Although a set-back, the Foundation said the arson attack would only make them more determined to ‘create a better space for the area’.

They added: ‘We need to educate our children on the dangers of playing with fire whether done intentionally or not and most certainly on the consequences of doing so.

'This could have been so much worse as so many other things/people could have been affected.

‘Thank you to everyone who reached out to us informing us of this matter, to the local authorities and our community who share with us the highest level of disappointment.’

Commenting on the post, local resident Craig Anthony said he ‘tried to stop’ the attack by throwing water over the culprits.

‘It really angered me considering the importance of the area,’ he said.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed a large quantity of plastic barriers was set alight on Monday.

Olivia had been stood behind her mother when Cashman blindly fired through their front door in the botched hit.

The bullet passed through Mrs Korbel’s hand, before striking Olivia in the chest.

Cashman was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 42 years in jail for what the judge said was a ‘particularly grave’ and ‘chilling’ killing.

In an emotional victim impact statement, Mr Korbel said ‘Liv’ was a chatterbox who ‘never stopped talking.’

‘One thing I miss most is hearing her say ‘mum’, I just miss hearing her voice,’ she said.

‘It’s just so quiet. I would do anything to have her chatting to me. It’s so lonely without her.

‘She will never get to wear a prom dress, have a sweet sixteen birthday, walk down the aisle, or become a mother and have children of her own.

‘All that promise for her future, so cruelly taken away.’