Paul Parker, a 52-year-old man described as a notorious Liverpool gangster, died on June 1 after being shot in Heerhugowaard, Netherlands, an inquest heard. Authorities in the Netherlands stated the provisional cause of death was a gunshot wound.
Parker was reportedly wanted in connection with the 2017 murders of a Dutch husband and his Thai wife. The couple, Pieter Hoovers, 54, and Tae Kawepanya, 32, were killed in an attack in Amsterdam's De Pijp neighborhood on July 17, 2017.
According to a source in the Netherlands, Parker entered a business building to collect a debt and was armed with a knife. He allegedly stabbed two men before one of them shot him. Police arrested two men, aged 44 and 65, who are presumed to be the individuals Parker had stabbed, after they were taken to a hospital.
Dutch news outlets have identified Parker as a suspect in the 2017 double murder. In 2021, Amsterdam police released CCTV footage of a suspect and offered a reward for information. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed it was supporting the family of a British national who died in the Netherlands and was in contact with local authorities.
Parker, who was born in Liverpool but listed as having no fixed abode, was identified by Merseyside Police using fingerprints. His inquest was opened at Bootle Town Hall and has been adjourned until December 18, awaiting the outcome of the investigation in the Netherlands.
Parker had a prior criminal conviction. He and his brother David were jailed for five years in 1993 for their involvement in the death of 17-year-old Phillip Green during a botched drug deal. Phillip Green was stabbed and died from his injuries. Parker had reportedly left the UK approximately 25 years ago.