A man shot and injured by the gunman who killed nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool has been revealed as ‘convicted burglar’ Joseph Nee.
The 35-year-old was believed to be the intended target of the balaclava-wearing attacker who chased him along the street before Nee forced his way into the schoolgirl’s family home in the Dovecot area to try to get away.
Nee, from Dovecot, will now be questioned about her murder which took place on Monday night.
He was freed from prison on licence last year, it is understood, when he was automatically released part-way through a fixed jail term.
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Nee was jailed for 45 months in July 2018 after admitting two counts of burglary, two counts of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, driving without insurance and driving whilst disqualified, according to the Liverpool Echo.
He was part of a group that led officers on a high-speed chase before they were captured, the newspaper said.
On Monday night, Olivia‘s mother, Cheryl Korbel, heard a commotion outside and opened her door, before Nee burst in and the gunman then opened fire just outside.
Ms Korbel was shot in the wrist, and the same bullet fatally struck her daughter in the chest as she stood directly behind her.
Nee, who suffered gunshot wounds to his upper body in the shooting, was taken to hospital by friends in a dark-coloured Audi following the shooting and is in a stable condition.
He has now been arrested for allegedly breaching the terms of his prison release with “poor behaviour”, said police.
He will be recalled to prison to serve the remainder of his licence.
Nee is not believed to have been living in probation-run accommodation.
And his case is yet to be referred to the Parole Board, which reviews offenders who are recalled to jail to decide when they can be re-released.
A statement from Merseyside Police said: “A 35-year-old man, suspected to have been the target of the shooting, has been detained in hospital on a prison recall after breaching the terms of his licence.
“He will be recalled to prison to serve the remainder of his licence. He will be further questioned in connection with the murder and remains in a stable condition.”