Every day is difficult, says Ashley Dale’s mum four years after fatal shooting

Four years after a series of tragic shootings in Merseyside, the bereaved families of Ashley Dale, Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Sam Rimmer and Elle Edwards are backing a free new educational resource to help prevent more young lives being lost to violence.

Sam Rimmer was 22 when he was shot while standing with friends on Lavrock Bank, Dingle, on 16 August 2022.

Five days later, Ashley Dale was killed in Old Swan and, the following day, nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was fatally shot in Dovecot.

Elle Edwards was also fatally shot outside the Lighthouse Pub in Wallasey on Christmas Eve that year.

The Dear Merseyside guided classroom resources are designed to encourage young people in schools to have discussions about the devastating impact of violence, recognising criminal exploitation and making positive life choices, Merseyside Police said.

Julie said it was “very important that people speak up” about gun crime, adding that she understood people were scared to do so “but if you’re in our situation, just put yourself in our shoes and think about what it would do to you or your family”.

Being part of a support group with others who have lost loved ones to gun crime had also helped her, she added, saying “we get what each other are going through” and “we just we help each other loads”.