Olivia Pratt-Korbel: Reformed Liverpool gangster says ‘morals have gone out of the window’ among city’s criminals
Sicarius McGrath is a big guy. Muscled, shaven-headed and more than a little intimidating – everything you might expect of a Liverpool gangster.
But his days of roaming the streets of Anfield are over and now he helps steer vulnerable and deprived kids away from a life of gangland crime.
With convictions for violence and intimidation, he knows his subject and was an enlightening companion as together we toured the city’s estates, waiting for the jury verdicts in the Olivia Pratt-Korbel murder trial.
I drove, he talked. When he was setting up a gun factory and protection rackets he was known as Anthony Harrington.
At 7pm Sky News will broadcast a special programme: The murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Sicarius McGrath says he used to ‘put guns on the streets in massive volumes’
His adopted name Sicarius means “assassin”, but he didn’t go to a school that taught Latin. I did, but that isn’t the only difference between us.
“I used to put guns on the streets in massive volumes,” he told me, rather matter-of-factly.
“They are bought and paid for through drugs money. I felt responsibility 100% for the things that happened, whether someone was harmed as a result, but when you’re in that game you don’t give a s***. It’s profits over anything else.
“Decades ago there was a moral code, that you didn’t harm women, you didn’t harm kids. I’m not saying that little girl was shot intentionally, but those morals have gone out of the window.
“I was mixing in those circles and surroundings, so I’m a bit of a hypocrite to say now they are absolute scum, but I was once that scumbag.”
Read more: Thomas Cashman found guilty of murdering Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead in her home
Although Merseyside Police had a key witness within a day or two of Olivia’s shooting, they struggled to find the direct evidence detectives always strive for.
There were no forensics, no eyewitnesses who could identify the killer and the two guns used have not been found.
I asked Mr McGrath how a close community deals with the conflict of outrage and the need for justice, set against loyalty and the fear of being labelled a grass.
“People are going to be reluctant, of course they are, depending on who commits the murder. If it’s established gang members people are going to be more reluctant. Everyone says there’s a code, no grassing, but criminals will grass each other up,” he said.
“It’s a question of what benefits them, if they can get a rival out of the way, bring police attention on them, but they’re not just gonna do it for charity.”
Gasps as Thomas Cashman found guilty on all charges – follow updates
What about the ordinary public – wouldn’t they be more scared of retribution for giving police information?
“It’s gonna be scary, they’re not really going to want to get involved, but when it’s a little girl the rule book goes out the window and you have to dig deep,” he said.
“People are more likely to engage with the police when it’s a young girl murdered and it’s up to the police to reassure them they are going to protect them.”
A month on from the shooting, after initial arrests but no charges, and with police still appealing for help, an anonymous businessman offered a remarkable £100,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of Olivia’s killer.
Lord Ashcroft, the founder of Crimestoppers, had also initially offered a £50,000 reward – but the anonymous donation prompted him to double his offer and, at £200,000 combined, it became the biggest ever reward.
At 7pm Sky News will broadcast a special programme: The murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Olivia’s coffin carried by horse-drawn carriage on the day of her funeral. Pic: AP
The other businessman, who did not want to be named for safety reasons, said: “When I heard that there was a seeming reluctance for people to come forward and testify, that’s what really got my back up.
“I thought, well, I’m going to try and do something about this. It was an amount that would make people sit up and make it as easy as possible for them to help catch the killer.”
The businessman’s family are from Merseyside and memories of his childhood in the area fuelled his desire for justice for Olivia.
“I understand people’s reluctance to speak out and I’ve thought about my own safety in putting up the reward. Like others, I had doubts and worries, but Crimestoppers assured me my identity would be protected. The bottom line is that this was horrific, the murder of a young girl. It doesn’t come much worse than that.”
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The battle between Liverpool’s gangs
Mick Duthie, director of operations at Crimestoppers, said the reward had prompted “a phenomenal amount” of information from the public.
“I understand that in communities people don’t want to be seen as a grass or make themselves vulnerable, they don’t want to talk to the police, so the charity allows people to speak up anonymously,” he said.
“The community of Liverpool provided so much information. It wasn’t for us to decide how important it was. We took it and passed it on to Merseyside Police.”
As we drove through Dovecot, where Olivia was murdered, I asked Mr McGrath whether £200,000 was a life-changing amount for people in this community.
“For someone anywhere in the country it’s a life-changing amount of money,” he said.
“People are struggling to put their lights on and run their cookers. A reward of £200,000 is gonna benefit the vast majority of people, criminals and non-criminals.”
Sixteen years ago, schoolboy Rhys Jones, who was 11, was shot dead – caught in cross-fire – only a few miles from here.
I reported on it at the time and Mr McGrath was in prison, but we both remember the loud and widespread calls for change.
Rhys Jones was shot dead after being caught in cross-fire close to his home
Mr McGrath said: “They always say that when a young person is stabbed or shot, they always say enough is enough, they’re going to take a stand but communities never do. It’s all just words.
“A couple of days or weeks later they go back to doing what they were doing. It’s only the families that are left suffering. Whoever shot Olivia, whoever’s convicted, his friends won’t stop talking to him because he shot a young girl.”
A blitz on organised crime and guns by Merseyside Police has driven down the number of firearms discharges to record low levels in the past couple of years.
There hadn’t been one reported in more than a year before last August. But then Olivia became the third gun murder victim in just a week. And there have been two more in the city since.
Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed calls for an investigation into his chancellor after she apologised for putting her family home up for rent without obtaining the necessary licence.
Rachel Reeves wrote to the prime minister to “sincerely” apologise for the “inadvertent error”, which was first reported by the Daily Mail.
The newspaper reported that the chancellor rented her family home in Dulwich when she moved into Number 11 Downing Street, but was unaware she had to obtain a licence to do so.
Some London boroughs require private landlords to obtain a specific kind of licence if they are putting their property up for rent – including Southwark Council, where Ms Reeves’ home is listed.
The newspaper said Ms Reeves had now applied for a licence, but the Conservatives have called for an investigation.
A spokesperson for Ms Reeves said: “Since becoming chancellor, Rachel Reeves has rented out her family home through a lettings agency.
“She had not been made aware of the licensing requirement, but as soon as it was brought to her attention, she took immediate action and has applied for the licence.
“This was an inadvertent mistake and in the spirit of transparency, she has made the prime minister, the independent adviser on ministerial standards and the parliamentary commissioner for standards aware.”
It is understood that Sir Laurie Magnus, the prime minister’s ethics adviser, has not launched an investigation into Ms Reeves.
Sir Keir said further investigation into the issue was “not necessary” after consulting Sir Laurie.
In a letter to Ms Reeves, he suggested her apology was a “sufficient resolution”.
Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the chancellor was adding to the government’s “list of scandals”.
“The chancellor is meant to be delivering growth but the only thing she appears to be growing is the government’s list of scandals,” she said.
“Just weeks before the budget, this risks seriously undermining confidence in this government and its ability to focus on the urgent tasks at hand.”
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Chancellor faces tough budget choices
The development comes weeks before Ms Reeves delivers her budget on 26 November.
She is rumoured to be considering a series of tax hikes, including a new tax on the sale of homes worth more than £500,000 to replace stamp duty.
Read more:
What tax rises and spending cuts could Reeves announce?
Why is there a budget black hole?
Under the proposal, sellers, instead of buyers, would be responsible for paying the tax.
The chancellor is understood to be looking at an annual 1% charge on the amount a property’s value exceeds £2m – a £10,000-a-year levy for homes worth £3m.
Another proposal would see capital gains tax (CGT) charged when someone sells their main home, based on the amount it has increased in value during ownership.
Reports suggest this would only be applied to the most expensive properties, with a possible threshold of £1.5m, which would affect about 120,000 homeowners and higher-rate taxpayers getting CGT bills of nearly £200,000.
UK
Wrongly-released migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu claims he was ‘ignored’ by police while trying to hand himself in
Migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu, who was wrongly freed from prison, has claimed in an interview with Sky News that he tried to hand himself in to police a day before he was arrested, but was ignored by officers.
The Home Office said Kebatu, 38, was deported from the UK on Tuesday night.
Speaking to Sky News after he arrived back in Ethiopia on Wednesday morning, Kebatu shared details of his accidental release from HMP Chelmsford on 24 October and the two-day manhunt that followed.
The convicted sex offender was repeatedly questioned on his crimes, but Sky News has chosen not to broadcast this part of the interview.
‘Ignored’ by police
The morning after he was released from prison, Kebatu claimed he tried to hand himself into police, but was ignored.
He said: “I [told] police, look here, police I am wanted man, I am arrested, I will give you my hand, please help where is police station? He ignored me, he drove [off].”
He added that he told the officer his name and that he was mistakenly released from prison.
“I am not unknown. The police station, where is the place? But also I go to police, I will give you my hand please help me where is the police station, take me, I am wanted.
“You know me, or my image, my name is Hadush Kabatu, nationality Ethiopia. Please, I was the mistake release from Chelmsford prison. Please help me.”
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Moment Hadush Kebatu put on deportation flight
Responding to Kebatu’s claims, the Metropolitan Police told Sky News: “The Met is not aware of any evidence to support the claims that Kebatu approached officers on Saturday morning.
“The actions of officers who responded to the sighting of him on Sunday morning show how seriously they were taking the manhunt. Kebatu’s actions on the morning of his arrest were more like those of someone trying to avoid officers, not trying to hand himself in.”
Release from prison
Kebatu was released by HMP Chelmsford a month into his 12-month sentence on the expectation he would be picked up by immigration enforcement.
He said after he was released he waited more than three hours outside the prison, for what he described as someone who was “responsible” for him.
He said: “At that time I am waiting more than three hours… who [is] responsible for me? Where is Home Office, where is [immigration]?
“I was told there was a bus. Also, all the experts, they all ignored me.”
In another Sky News story, a delivery driver who spoke to Kebatu outside Chelmsford prison said he looked “confused”.
The driver said he was approached by the prisoner, who had no idea where he was supposed to go. He said Kebatu waited outside the prison for roughly “an hour and a half” before leaving.
Kebatu said after he left the prison, he asked a passerby where the train station was. He claimed someone helped him, and bought him a train ticket for £18.
Kebatu then travelled to London. He was spotted later that evening in Stratford, east London, and then the Dalston area of Hackney.
Kebatu’s movements the day he was released from prison
The Ethiopian national arrived in the UK on a small boat on 29 June. Days after his arrival, he sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, Essex, where he was staying.
He was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment without violence.
He was jailed on 23 September.
When approached by Sky News, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) pointed to a statement made by Justice Secretary David Lammy upon Kebatu’s deportation: “Kebatu has been returned to Ethiopia where he belongs.
“I am grateful to Home Office colleagues for acting swiftly to secure his deportation. I have been clear from the outset that a mistake of this nature is unacceptable, and we must get to the bottom of what happened.
“I have established an independent investigation chaired by Dame Lynne Owens into last Friday’s events to get the public the answers they rightly deserve, and we have introduced the strictest checks ever seen in our prison system to stop similar unacceptable errors in future.”
Essex Police, who arrested Kebatu after the assaults in July, told Sky News: “Our officers responded quickly to the reports of the sexual assaults committed in Epping and arrested Hadush Kebatu on the same day the offences were reported to us.
“Kebatu was then immediately remanded in custody, while officers acted diligently and professionally securing charges and building a case which saw Kebatu convicted following a trial. Protecting women and girls is a priority for Essex Police and our swift and thorough actions highlight our commitment to this.”
Migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu was given £500 to be deported to Ethiopia following his mistaken release from prison, Sky News understands.
The government, who confirmed he was escorted on to a plane at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday night, said he has no right to return to the UK.
But Sky News understands Kebatu was handed a discretionary payment of £500 as part of efforts to avoid a lengthy legal challenge after he made threats to disrupt his removal.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she “pulled every lever” to deport Kebatu, although it is thought the decision about the payment was made by removal teams, not ministers.
“I am pleased to confirm this vile child sex offender has been deported. Our streets are safer because of it,” she said.
Hadush Kebatu seen on the plane during his deportation flight
Kebatu was found and arrested by the Metropolitan Police in the Finsbury Park area of north London at around 8.30am on Sunday following a manhunt.
Last month, he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a schoolgirl and a woman in Epping, Essex, just over a week after arriving in the UK on a small boat.
Hadush Kebatu was arrested on Sunday after his mistaken release
He was expected to be deported, but instead of being handed over to immigration officials, he was released in error from HMP Chelmsford on Friday.
He spent just under 48 hours at large before he was apprehended.
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Prisoner releases: ‘A problem on the rise’
The accidental release sparked widespread alarm and questions over how a man whose crimes sparked protests in Epping over the use of asylum hotels was able to be freed.
Ms Mahmood said: “Last week’s blunder should never have happened – and I share the public’s anger that it did.”
Anti-asylum demonstrators in Epping, Essex. Pic: PA
Read more from Sky News:
Military barracks to be used to house asylum seekers
Lammy blames ‘human error’ for release of migrant sex offender
On Sunday, Justice Secretary David Lammy said an exclusive Sky News interview will be used as part of an independent inquiry into the mistaken release.
Speaking to Sky’s national correspondent Tom Parmenter, a delivery driver who spoke to Kebatu at HMP Chelmsford described him as being “confused” as he was being guided to the railway station by prison staff.
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Local council reads family statement: ‘My family feels massively let down’
The migrant is said to have returned to the prison reception four or five times before leaving the area on a train heading to London.
Mr Lammy, who put Kebatu’s release down to human error, said he has ordered an “urgent review” into the checks that take place when an offender is released from prison, and new safeguards have been added that amount to the “strongest release checks that have ever been in place”.
From Monday, new checks include five pages of instructions and demands that more senior prison staff sign off on a release, according to documents obtained by Sky News.
“I have been clear from the outset that a mistake of this nature is unacceptable, and we must get to the bottom of what happened,” said Mr Lammy.
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