A BURGLAR named as the suspected intended target of the shooting that killed a nine-year-old girl was previously jailed.

Joseph Nee, 35 and from the Dovecot area of Liverpool, is understood to be the man hurt in the violence that left Olivia Pratt-Korbel dead and her mother wounded on Monday.

A man forced his way into a family home while trying to flee a masked gunman, and while the little girl lay dying, the man was also shot and was taken to hospital by 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.

Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen said the man allegedly breached his licence conditions with "poor behaviour" and had been detained in hospital.

Nee was jailed for 45 months at Warrington Crown Court in 2018 after he and two other men led police on a high-speed chase.

He was one of three burglars caught after trying to speed away from police in a high-risk, 125mph chase, believed to be on the M6 and M62 in Warrington.

The chase, which began in Church Lawton in Cheshire and ended in Huyton, was tracked by the police helicopter.

He admitted two counts of burglary, two counts of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, driving without insurance and driving whilst disqualified.

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.”

St Helens Star: Police and tributes at the scene in Liverpool (Image: PA)Police and tributes at the scene in Liverpool (Image: PA)

Olivia’s death is one of three fatal shootings in the Liverpool area in the space of a week, and comes 15 years after 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot dead on his way home from football practice in Croxteth.

Officers from Merseyside Police carried out a series of raids targeting gun crime in the city on Wednesday as tributes continued to pour in for the schoolgirl.

The force’s chief constable Serena Kennedy said the ‘shocking’ killing ‘crosses every single boundary’ as the force appealed to the ‘criminal fraternity’ in Liverpool for information.

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.

Tributes including flowers and teddies have been left near the scene of the shooting amid shock at Olivia’s 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, according to her headteacher Rebecca Wilkinson.

Ms Wilkinson said: “Olivia was a much-loved member of our school. 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.”