Paul Anthony Parker, a 52-year-old man originally from Liverpool who was suspected of involvement in a double murder in Amsterdam, died from a gunshot wound during an altercation involving weapons in the Dutch city of Heerhugowaard on June 1 this year.
Inquest confirms cause of death
An inquest opening on Thursday morning (June 25) at Bootle Town Hall listed Parker's cause of death as a gunshot wound, contrary to initial Dutch media reports that he had been stabbed. Anita Bhardwaj, senior coroner for Sefton, St. Helens and Knowsley, stated that Parker was "believed to have been in an altercation involving weapons that led to his death." She confirmed that a formal inquest would be required due to the unnatural nature of his death.
The coroner listed further proceedings for December 18 this year for "review or conclusion depending on what information we have on that occasion." She noted that they were awaiting information from an ongoing investigation in the Netherlands.
Background of the suspect
Parker was born in January 1974 in Liverpool. Because of a lack of information from Europe, his address was given as no fixed abode. He had been living in the Netherlands and was believed to have been involved in a business that led to a fight involving guns and knives. Reports indicated that he had entered a garage in the northern Netherlands city to collect a debt and was armed with a knife. Two men, aged 44 and 65, were arrested afterwards in hospital.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told the ECHO: "We are supporting the family of a British man who died in the Netherlands and are in contact with the local authorities."
Connection to double murder
Local news outlets reported that at the time of his death, Parker was wanted over the murder of Dutchman Pieter Hoovers, 62, and his partner, Tae Kawepanya, 32. The couple, who were living in Thailand, had returned to Amsterdam on holiday when they were ambushed inside a flat. According to regional broadcaster NH and newspaper Parool, investigators believed Parker was the man sought for the killings.
An Amsterdam cold case team released information in May 2024 that the couple had probably been killed by a "British criminal." CCTV footage showed the suspect three times on the day of the murders. Investigators said the gunman was dropped off at the murder scene in different cars each time. The working assumption was that Mr Hoovers and Ms Kawepanya were not home during the suspect's first visit, so he had to return to finish the job. A third visit was probed as the killer returned to erase traces. Investigators offered a €20,000 reward for information.
Mr Hoovers, who had a background in martial arts, founded record label Outland Records before selling the business and relocating to Thailand in the mid-1990s. A photo published by the Mail showed Parker on a boat with Mr Hoovers, suggesting there had been a friendship between the men.
Previous criminal history
Parker was believed to have left the UK around the turn of the millennium. He and his brother, David, had both been jailed for their part in the killing of a teen during a botched drug deal. Seventeen-year-old Phillip Green, from Warrington, was stabbed in the heart after he went to Walton Hall Park to buy cannabis. The Parker brothers were recorded by police discussing their roles in the incident, while Liverpool Crown Court heard a third unknown man was the one who delivered the stabbing. Both brothers were jailed for five years. Paul Parker later appeared on fresh charges after remaining unlawfully at large for four months and received a further sentence of three months.
