A former Scotland Yard detective believes he may have identified members of a network helping one of the UK’s most wanted fugitives.
Kevin Parle is sought in connection with two chilling murders in Liverpool and has been on the run for more than 15 years.
Some believe he is dead, but Peter Bleksley thinks otherwise due to a host of tips and claims he has received after launching a high-profile manhunt.
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Detectives on Merseyside want to speak to Parle over the shooting murders of Liam Kelly and Lucy Hargreaves.
Mr Kelly was just 16 when he was shot dead on Grafton Street, Dingle, in 2004.
Parle was questioned in connection with his murder but was released on bail - which he failed to answer.
He is the subject of a European Arrest Warrant in relation to that investigation.
The following year 22-year-old Ms Hargreaves was shot as she slept on a living room sofa in her Walton home. Petrol was then poured around the room and set alight.
Detectives want to speak to Parle, formerly of Mossley Hill, as part of inquiries into the mum’s killing, believed to have been a case of mistaken identity.
Mr Bleksley, a former Metropolitan Police undercover detective who starred in the Channel 4 show Hunted, launched a campaign to track down Parle three years ago.
While his efforts have been hampered by the pandemic, he has said he has received a slew of sightings and information about 6ft 6in Parle, also known as Hemp.
This includes potential sightings in Europe and Asia, many in Spain.
Mr Bleksley believes the reports severely undermine underworld rumours that Parle is dead.
In a BBC podcast series detailing his search, Mr Bleksley revealed he thinks he has made progress in identifying those helping Parle to maintain his life on the run.
In the latest edition of Manhunt: Finding Kevin Parle, released on Tuesday, he said: “There is a criminal network that are harbouring and funding him and I have identified quite a few of the players from that network. In the not too distant future, as fortunately travel restrictions are diminishing, I will be pulling out my passport and travelling far and wide and some people are not going to be very happy to see me when I knock on their doors.”
You can listen to the latest episode of Manhunt: Finding Kevin Parle, here.
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