Drug dealer Thomas Cashman, who is convicted of the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, has been dating the mother of his two children Kayleeanne Sweeney but his ‘brave’ ex-partner helped in his conviction. Details.
“Ruthless killer” Thomas Cashman is convicted in connection with the death of a 9-year-old girl, Olivia Pratt-Korbel.
On 22 August 2022, the masked gunman fatally shot Olivia in her home in Liverpool, England, and was pronounced dead the same day at the city’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
He also injured her mother Cheryl Korbel during a botched “execution” of a convicted drug dealer following a chase on 22 August.
Cashman was widely feared in the Dovecot area of the city, where he made up to £5,000 per week as a “high level” cannabis dealer, using intimidation and violence to ensure payment.
However, he is still in prison because of his “petrified” former partner’s “incredible bravery” in coming forward, police said.
During his trial at Manchester Crown Court, his current girlfriend attended every day.
Here’s what we know about his love life and children.
Who is Kayleeanne Sweeney, Thomas Cashman’s girlfriend?
Thomas Cashman has been in a relationship with his girlfriend Kayleeanne Sweeney, a businesswoman and a mother of two.
Per DailyMail, Sweeney is the drug dealer’s childhood sweetheart.
Cashman and Sweeney are believed to have met when they were barely out of primary school, and they were still teenagers when she became pregnant.
The publication revealed the couple lived together in a £450,000 home paid for by his life of crime.
Cashman and Sweeney, both 35, lived together on an upmarket estate in Liverpool and lived a lifestyle funded by his criminal career as he made thousands selling drugs.
They live in a rich neighborhood where residents drive Bentleys and Teslas.
The couple are understood to have been paying £2,000 a month for the four-bed rented property from the end of 2021, with Ms Sweeney driving a Land Rover Discovery Sport.
In addition, they were renting a luxury two-bed apartment in a block overlooking the River Mersey.
Giving evidence, Cashman said he earned as much as £250,000 a year through his illicit trade and insisted he was not ‘a bad person’ as he didn’t sell Class A drugs.
He said the money was spent on cars, bikes and holidays.
Asked in court whether Ms Sweeney knew the source of his extraordinary wealth – more than seven times the average salary for the area – Cashman replied: ‘She never asked me, I never told her.’
However, he admitted she and her parents would have had ‘suspicions’ that he was a drug dealer.
At the time of the shooting, Ms Sweeney had her own cosmetics clinic, however, the business was dissolved just days before Cashman was charged with murder.
Kayleeanne Sweeney turned up every day during the trial at Manchester Crown Court, where her boyfriend, Thomas Cashman, was convicted of murder.
Does Thomas Cashman have any kids?
Convicted drug dealer Thomas Cashman is a father.
Before he was apprehended by the police, he had two children; a son and a daughter.
The names of their children are unknown but his son is 14 years old while his daughter is aged 4.
He shares his children with his longtime girlfriend Kayleeanne Sweeney.
They became first-time parents when they were both teenagers.
There are no further details about their kids.
Cashman told the jury he tried to ‘change my life around’ and stop dealing drugs when he became a father, beginning to sell cars instead.
Thomas Cashman’s ex-partner assisted the police in his conviction.
Before Thomas Cashman was arrested, the police had a tip-off by the suspected murderer’s ex-partner.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had previously had a brief relationship with the killer.
Per a BBC, she told detectives she was “petrified” of Cashman, but “this is a nine-year-old child – I want her family to get justice”.
The key witness said she was still “terrified” of him as she was giving evidence at his Manchester Crown Court trial.
“When there’s a little girl involved, there’s no form of grassing in my world,” she told the jury.
The man who led the murder hunt, Det Supt Mark Baker of Merseyside Police, said her decision to come forward “was a really important moment in the investigation”.
Senior prosecutor Maria Corr said Cashman had used two guns while shooting at his intended target Joseph Nee.
“In the community, people [were] afraid of coming forward – because would their child be next?,” she said.
“The privacy and safety of your own home – this ruthless killer didn’t care. He shot a little nine-year-old child.”
Where is Thomas Cashman now?
Cashman is currently in prison after receiving a hefty sentence by Judge Mrs Justice Yip.
On September 29, 2022, a month after the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, the gangster was arrested.
He was charged with murder, Possession of an illegal firearm, attempted murder, grievous bodily harm, and assisting an offender (Paul Russell).
Cashman was found guilty of the murder of Olivia on March 30, 2023.
He denied all of the charges, including murder, but was convicted after a three-week trial.
He was ordered to serve a minimum of 42 years before being considered for parole. He was sentenced to 10 years for the wounding of Olivia’s mother and received two 18-year sentences for both counts of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, with all of the sentences to run concurrently.
He will become eligible to be considered for parole on 22 March 2064, at which time he will be in his mid-70s.
Cashman was not in court to hear his sentence.
Cashman was 34 years old at the time of his sentencing.
In late April 2023, it was reported that Cashman was to appeal to have his sentence reduced. In July 2023, he was refused permission to appeal his sentence.
He had 18 previous convictions for 33 offences.