One of Britain’s most wanted fugitives, who is on the run for two brutal murders, could be living in the Australian outback, new clues suggest.
Kevin Parle is believed to have shot dead Lucy Hargreaves, 22, and set her body alight in Liverpool in 2005 while her three children slept upstairs.
He is also the prime suspect in the murder of 16-year-old Liam Kelly, who was shot dead in the city in 2004.
Parle was arrested on suspicion of Liam’s murder but fled when he was later released on bail.
A worldwide search has been launched, but so far no one has been able to locate him.
Now, new evidence uncovered by the West Australian newspaper suggests Parle, now in his 40s, had a relative who owned cattle ranches in the region.
Kevin Parle is believed to have shot dead Lucy Hargreaves, 22, and set her body alight in Liverpool in 2005 while her three children slept upstairs.
Lucy Hargreaves, 22, was murdered as she slept on a sofa at her Merseyside home in 2005.
Liam Kelly, 16, was shot dead in Liverpool in 2004; the case remains unsolved
Although the exact location of the farm is unknown, it is understood that it could have been used as a hiding place.
The West Australian report also suggested Parle has been spending time in the outback and may also have been spotted in Perth’s northern suburbs.
This comes after Australian Federal Police and Merseyside detectives said in 2016 they had credible information that Parle was in the country.
Former Scotland Yard police detective Peter Bleksley was quoted in the newspaper report as saying he had uncovered “new details about his links to Australia”.
“Until I receive irrefutable proof of his death, I will always work on the theory that Parle is alive,” he added.
‘Many sources have said he is alive and breathing.’
Mr Bleksley has spent the past five years searching for Parle and has previously said he has “a wealth” of information about the fugitive’s whereabouts.
In 2021, he said he would not give up on the quest for Parle, despite receiving chilling threats from online trolls trying to steer him off course.
Mr Bleksley, who rose to fame on Channel 4’s Hunted programme, previously claimed the investigation was hampered by the belief Parle was dead.
“I know this from brave police officers, both former and current, from Merseyside Police and the National Crime Agency, who have spoken to me confidentially,” he said in an interview on This Morning.
‘There are certain bosses within Merseyside Police who prefer to believe the convenient rumour that Kevin Parle is dead, without presenting a shred of evidence to support it.
Images released by Merseyside Police show footage of Parle’s age progression
Former Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley said he had uncovered “new details about his links to Australia”
“And I spoke to the man who spread that rumor, four days after he left prison,” he added.
“I have a considerable amount of evidence that strongly indicates that he is alive,” Bleksley added.
Mother-of-three Lucy Hargreaves was shot three times as she slept on the sofa in her Merseyside home in 2005.
Gary Campbell, Lucy’s boyfriend, who may have been the intended target, was sleeping upstairs with the couple’s youngest daughter, Faye.
She escaped the blaze by jumping with her daughter from an upstairs window, before running inside to get Lucy out.
Mr. Campbell had allegedly been a passenger in a stolen car that struck and killed a four-year-old boy in 1993.
The boy who died was the brother of one of the defendants in the original case.
Tony Downes stood trial at Liverpool Crown Court but the case against him and Kirk Bradley, 21, both from Huyton, was thrown out.
Judge Henry Globe, then Recorder of Liverpool, ruled that there was no case to answer and acquitted the couple.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Baker said when a new appeal was launched in 2018: ‘Lucy’s murder remains one of the most brutal crimes we have seen in Merseyside.
‘That night, after Lucy was shot, the attacker poured gasoline in the living room and hallway, before setting fire to the house.
We believe the attackers would have had no doubt that they were killing a young woman. Their cruel actions would have claimed the lives of two more people that night if Gary, her partner, had not escaped the flames by jumping out with his daughter.
‘We are determined to bring Lucy Hargreaves’ killers to justice and we appeal to anyone with information to come forward.
‘Lucy was an innocent victim and should be celebrating her 35th birthday with her family this year; instead, they have been robbed of a loving mother and daughter.’