Men arrested after murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel are ‘in isolation’ over fears of hit on them

Two men arrested following the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel are being ‘held in isolation’ in prison over fears crime bosses will order a hit on them.

Joseph Nee, who it is understood was the intended victim of the shooting that killed the nine-year-old, and another 36-year-old man are reportedly being held separately from the general jail population after their arrest as officers worry gangs can get to them even behind bars. 

A source told the Sun: ‘The guys that ordered this shooting do not want either of these men to talk as they know they are facing big charges if the cops get any evidence. 

‘They have lots of contacts inside and outside prison so Nee and the suspected hitman will need to watch their backs. Dead people don’t talk.’ 

Police have also today made a further 32 arrests in the last 24 hours as officers continue to hunt down the killer of the nine-year-old who was shot dead last week. 

Officers revealed this evening they have made 202 arrest since cracking down on organised crime in Liverpool in the wake of the murder of Olivia, Ashley Dale, 28, and 22-year-old Sam Rimmer that has sent residents ‘reeling’. 

The arrests, which are not directly linked to the investigation, range from dangerous driving to weapons possessions, police assault and car theft which has been ‘blighting the lives of decent, law abiding members of the community’. 

Officers also flooded the street where Olivia was killed yesterday before carrying out searches with sniffer dogs as the hunt continues for the murder weapon.

In a message to anyone who can help in their hunt, detectives also said: ‘If you’ve got information and you’re withholding it, you’re protecting the killers. We need your information. Provide that information to us and we’ll do the rest.’ 

Men arrested following murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel are being ‘held in isolation’ in prison

Joseph Nee, who it is understodd was the intended victim of the shooting that killed nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel

Floral tributes for Olivia Pratt-Korbel on Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, Liverpool on Monday 

Police (pictured, image released by the Merseyside force showing armed police on the streets) have made a further 32 arrests in the last 24 hours as officers continue to hunt down the killer of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel who was shot dead last week

Olivia Pratt-Korbel, nine, was gunned down inside her family home after a balaclava-clad gunman burst in at night in pursuit of drug dealer Joseph Nee. Olivia’s mother, Cheryl, was also shot in the wrist and Nee was left seriously injured

Police use sniffer dogs while investigating the scene of Olivia Pratt-Korbel’s death in Dovecote 

 Dozens of officers from the anti-gang Matrix squad seen in the Dovecot area of Liverpool yesterday for painstaking searches lasting several hours.

Investigative, firearms and uniformed officers have also been parachuted into Merseyside from across the UK as they carried out 66 stop searches, executed 11 warrants, seized eight vehicles and carried out eight land searches during the last day. 

Detective Chief Superintendent and Head of Investigations, Mark Kameen, said: ‘If you are involved in serious organised crime on Merseyside we are not going anywhere soon and we will continue to disrupt the criminality you are involved in.’ 

Yesterday a 31-year-old man from Old Swan, was arrested for possession of an offensive weapon and possession of criminal property after being stop searched in Maskell Road, Old Swan. 

When he was searched officers found a lock knife and at a subsequent search of his address officers recovered more than £9,000 cash, a quantity of white powder and cannabis.

‘Nee family’ leave RIP note for little Olivia: Well-wishers leave flowers for nine-year-old girl who was shot dead in her own home – after arrest of the ‘intended target’, convicted burglar Joseph Nee

Wellwishers calling themselves ‘the Nee family’ have left a note near the house where nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead, it emerged today – days after the ‘intended target’ Joseph Nee was arrested.

Olivia was fatally shot when a gunman chased the convicted burglar into her family home in Dovecot before opening fire in an atrocity that also injured her mother, Cheryl, 46.

The note attached to flowers read, ‘So sorry for your loss of beautiful Olivia. Rest in peace, thinking of all [the family].’ It is not known if the ‘Nee family’ refers to Joseph Nee’s relatives.

 It comes as Merseyside Police launched a new appeal to find the gunman – warning anyone withholding information that they were protecting killers.

The note attached to flowers read, ‘So sorry for your loss of beautiful Olivia. Rest in peace, thinking of all [the family].’ It is not known if the ‘Nee family’ refers to Joseph Nee’s relatives

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A 33-year-old man from Dovecot was arrested following a stop search when he was found to be in possession of a Rolex watch, that is believed to have been stolen.

Whilst two men, aged 18 and 22 years from Wavertree and Speke respectively, were arrested on suspicion of aggravated unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle; dangerous driving; possession of a bladed article and assault police. 

Officers had attempted to stop a Volvo car being driven erratically on Derby Road, Bootle. A short pursuit was carried out and the offenders tried to escape, but were arrested by officers nearby. One of the men was found to be in possession of a knife.

Mr Kameen, added: ‘The communities of Dovecot, Old Swan and Dingle are still reeling from the murders that have taken place in the areas they call home and we owe it to them to stop those involved in serious organised crime, which can result in innocent members of our communities being seriously injured or killed.

‘Our resources have been significantly boosted by officers from across the UK (investigation, firearms and uniformed officers) and we will leave no stone unturned in our search for those who killed nine-year old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Ashley Dale and Sam Rimmer. 

‘The actions of these individuals has also turned our attention to organised crime groups who are blighting the lives of decent, law abiding members of the community, and we are acting on information coming in to take them out so we can to make our streets safer for the future.

‘Information from our communities in relation to the murders is still coming in and we are acting on all the information we receive. 

‘The murder of Olivia in her own home, the place where she should have been safest, has crossed all boundaries and detectives and uniformed officers are working round the clock to find the person, or persons responsible.’

Dozens of officers from the anti-gang Matrix squad arrived on the road in the Dovecot area of Liverpool for painstaking searches lasting several hours. 

One local suggested police investigating the nine-year-old’s killing could have received new information overnight. 

‘It’s the largest police presence we have had here since last Monday when she was killed,’ the resident told The Sun. 

‘They were looking under cars and in gardens and it seemed like they were looking for something specific.’

Police have launched a huge crackdown on organised crime in Liverpool in coordination with the National Crime Agency, known as ‘Britain’s FBI’. 

In recent days there have been numerous reports of gang bosses moving drugs out of the city and fleeing to their foreign villas. 

Armed police, pictured, talking to a member of the public as their patrols continue in Liverpool 

One local suggested police investigating the nine-year-old’s killing could have received new information overnight 

Last night an underworld source claimed the gangsters who ordered the shooting of burglar Nee – which led to Olivia’s killing – were ‘feeling the heat’.   

It comes as Merseyside Police launched a new appeal to find the gunman – warning anyone withholding information that they were protecting killers. 

It is almost a week since Olivia was fatally shot when a gunman chased Nee into her family home in Dovecot, also injuring Olivia’s mother, Cheryl, 46.

In a short but dramatic video appeal on Twitter, Merseyside Police warned that anyone withholding information must give it up.

During the video, a voiceover states: ‘We’ve got parents who’ve lost their children.

‘We’ve got a nine-year-old girl who won’t celebrate her 18th birthday. She won’t celebrate her wedding. She won’t have children of her own.’ 

As well as images of Olivia and flowers at the scene of the shooting, the video also featured images of Ms Dale and Mr Rimmer.

Council worker Ms Dale was fatally shot in Old Swan, Liverpool, on Sunday August 21.

The 28-year-old, who worked in the environmental health team at Knowsley Council, was found fatally wounded in the back garden of a house. It is believed she was not the intended victim.

Mr Rimmer, 22, was shot in Dingle, Liverpool, on Tuesday August 16.

Police said there will be ‘plenty of officers on patrol’ in all three areas that have seen fatal shootings lately.

The force tweeted: ‘They’re there to help you feel safe and to make sure criminals feel the pressure.’

Two men arrested over Olivia’s death were bailed on Saturday. 

A 36-year-old man, from Huyton, was recalled to prison after breaching the terms of his licence. 

Police officers storming a house as part of the hunt for Olivia’s killer. Yesterday the force appealed for help, saying ‘silence is not an option’ 

Olivia’s family said she was a ‘unique, chatty, nosey girl’ who ‘loved life and all it had to offer’

Both he and a 33-year-old man, from Dovecot, were arrested on suspicion of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Merseyside Police appealed for people to come forward with information ‘so we can build up a strong evidential picture and bring those responsible to justice’.

The force has previously released an image of a black Audi Q3, which has been seized and which they believe is the car used to take 35-year-old Nee to hospital.

They are still appealing to anyone who saw the vehicle in the days leading up to the shooting, or has any information about its movements after leaving Kingsheath Avenue last Monday night, to come forward.

In other social media appeals, police have insisted ‘silence is not an option’.

In a short but dramatic video appeal on Twitter, Merseyside Police warned that anyone withholding information must give it up

A young girl lays a tribute in Kingsheath Avenue, Knotty Ash, Liverpool, where Olivia Pratt-Korbel was fatally shot

Warning that there is ‘no hiding place for anyone involved in the murder of little Olivia’, they added: ‘We need names.’

Assistant mayor of Liverpool Harry Doyle said people had come forward in the days since the murder because they ‘want to see justice’ for the little girl and her loved ones, and that the arrests had brought ‘a sense of hope and relief’.

Olivia’s family have urged people to ‘do the right thing’, saying that speaking up ‘is not about being a ‘snitch’ or a ‘grass’, it is about finding out who took our baby away from us’.

In a touching tribute, Liverpool FC captain Jordan Henderson wore a top reading ‘RIP Olivia YNWA (You’ll Never Walk Alone)’ for the team’s victory against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.

In their overall crackdown on organised crime, police said they had made almost 200 arrests and seized vehicles, drugs and weapons in the past week.

The force tweeted: ‘We have arrested 170 people & seized several vehicles, suspected Class A and B drugs, and firearms over the past week in an operation targeting serious and organised crime across Merseyside.’