A burglar has been identified as the intended target of the shooting that killed Olivia Pratt-Korbel, 9, in Liverpool on Monday.
It is understood that the man hurt in the violence that killed Olivia and wounded her mother is Joseph Nee, 35, from the Dovecot area of Liverpool.
He forced his way into the family home while trying to flee a masked gunman, and while the little girl lay dying, Nee, who was also shot, was taken to hospital by his friends in a black Audi.
Merseyside Police have refused to publicly identify Nee, but earlier said a 35-year-old man injured in the shooting would be recalled to prison for breaching the terms of his release.
Det Chief Supt Mark Kameen said the man breached his licence conditions with “poor behaviour” and had been detained in hospital.
Nee was jailed for 45 months in 2018 after he and two other men led police on a high-speed chase.
He admitted to two counts of burglary, two counts of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, driving without insurance and driving while disqualified.
“He will be recalled to prison to serve the remainder of his licence," Merseyside Police said. "He will be further questioned in connection with the murder and remains in a stable condition.”
Olivia’s death is one of three fatal shootings in the area in a week and comes 15 years after Rhys Jones, 11, was shot dead on his way home from football practice in Croxteth, Liverpool.
Police officers carried out raids against gun crime in the city on Wednesday as tributes continued to pour in for the schoolgirl.
Chief Const Serena Kennedy said the “shocking” killing “crosses every single boundary” as the force appealed to the “criminal fraternity” in Liverpool for information.
“We are receiving CCTV, we are receiving names, we are receiving information," Mr Kameen told the BBC.
"People are telling us where they were and what areas they were in, which is absolutely fantastic."
He urged the community “to keep helping this family in every way possible”.
“Our inquiries continue into the shocking murder of Olivia, and supporting her family as they try to come to terms with this tragedy," Mr Kameen said.
“We will do all we can to take all of these involved in gun crime off the streets, as this arrest demonstrates.
“This is not the time for anyone who knows who was responsible to stay silent.
“It is a time for us all to make Merseyside a place where the use of guns on our streets is totally unacceptable and those who use them are held to account.
“If you saw, heard, captured or know anything, tell us directly or anonymously and we will continue to act.”
Olivia was at home with her two older siblings when her mother, Cheryl Korbel, opened the door after hearing gunshots outside.
Ms Korbel, 46, was shot in the wrist as she tried to close the door on the gunman while Olivia stood behind her.
The gunman was wearing a black padded jacket, a black balaclava with a peak, dark trousers and black gloves, and had fired shots at two men walking in Kingsheath Avenue, causing them to flee.
Olivia’s family on Wednesday evening released three pictures of the girl.
Tributes including flowers and stuffed toys have been left near the scene of the shooting amid shock at her death.
She went to St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Junior School in Huyton, where she was thought of as a kind-hearted, helpful and happy little girl, her head teacher Rebecca Wilkinson said.
“Olivia was a much-loved member of our school," Ms Wilkinson said. "She had a beautiful smile, a lovely sense of humour and a bubbly personality.
“She was kind-hearted and would go out of her way to help others.”
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
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