Thomas Cashman denied he left his home "in a murder frame of mind" an hour and a half before Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead but said he could not remember where he was going.
The 34-year-old is giving evidence at Manchester Crown Court where he is standing trial over the nine-year-old's death on August 22 last year. Olivia died after a bullet passed through the front door of her family home on Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, before hitting her mum, Cheryl Korbel, in the wrist and then striking her in the chest.
The gunman had been chasing 36-year-old Joseph Nee on the street outside, who despite being shot twice managed to run and barged into the Korbel house while fleeing for his life. Cashman denies any involvement in Olivia's death or shooting Nee.
READ MORE: Thomas Cashman murder trial resumes as man accused of shooting Olivia Pratt-Korbel gives evidence
Today David McLachlan, KC, prosecuting, pressed Cashman on his movements in the two hours before the fatal shots were fired at 10pm. Cashman told the jury he could not remember "every little thing" he did that day but repeatedly denied "scoping out" Joseph Nee, who was inside the home of Timothy Naylor on the corner of Finch Lane and Kingsheath Avenue.
Mr McLachlan pointed out that Cashman last went to his home address on Grenadier Drive at 8.22pm and stayed for only eight minutes before leaving again.
Mr McLachlan asks: “You stayed at home for eight minutes. Why only eight minutes?”
Cashman replied: “I couldn’t tell you why….I just went out. It was still light out."
Mr McLachlan asked: “Were you starting to get excited?", which Cashman denied.
The prosecutor asked: "Starting to get into the murder frame of mind?".
Cashman replied: "No I wasn’t getting into no murder frame of mind whatsoever". Mr McLachlan asked where he was going after leaving home at 8.30pm.
Cashman replied: "I’m not sure where I’m going. I went up Finch Lane, then I’ve took a route and I’ve went onto Kingsheath." He told the jury he may have been "going to a friend's house" on Ruscombe Road. When asked the friend's name, he said: "Lenny", but declined to give a surname.
Mr McLachlan asked about a journey Cashman said he made to Yewtree Cemetery, with his friend Craig Byrne, before the shooting to "drop some rubbish" into large commercial bins sited there.
Mr McLachlan pointed out this journey was not mentioned in his defence statement, issued before the trial. He said: "How long did it take to get rid of the rubbish?”
Cashman replied: I didn’t get rid of the rubbish, Craig got rid of it. Craig jumped out. I wasn’t going near it. He jumped back in the van and we got off. A couple of minutes. I’m not sure how many bags.”
Mr McLachlan asked: “Were you meeting him to pick up anything else from the cemetery?", to which Cashman replied: "Definitely not."
Mr McLachlan asked Cashman why he "forgot" to mention it in his defence statement.
Cashman replied: “There’s loads of things in that statement I did not put in.” Mr McLachlan asked: “Have you been caught out there Mr Cashman?”
Cashman replied: “How have I been caught out?”.
The trial continues.
As well as denying Olivia's murder, Cashman denies the attempted murder of Nee, as well as wounding Cheryl Korbel with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm. He also pleaded not guilty to two counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, namely a 9mm calibre self-loading pistol and a 0.3 calibre revolver.
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