One of the UK's most wanted fugitives on the run over two brutal murders may have fled to a relative's stud farm in Australia and lived in the outback.
Fresh details about Kevin Thomas Parle’s time on the run can now be revealed as a former UK detective steps up his efforts to find the suspected double killer. Parle, who would now be in his 40s, is wanted in connection with two murders - the chilling execution of a young mum and the shooting of a teenager. Mum-of-three Lucy Hargreaves, 22, was shot dead in 2005 in her home in Liverpool. Privately-educated Parle is also suspected of blasting 16-year-old Liam Kelly in the city in 2004.
Parle was arrested on suspicion of Liam’s murder but was released on bail soon after and quickly disappeared. A global manhunt for Parle was launched, but he has managed to evade capture. He remains wanted by Merseyside Police and the National Crime Agency. In 2016, the Australian Federal Police and Merseyside detectives confirmed they had credible information that Parle may be in Australia, or had previously visited Perth on or about 2013.
Now a fresh dossier of evidence has been uncovered by the West Australian newspaper, which includes revelations that Parle had a relative in West Australia who owned a stud farm. The exact location of that farm is still unknown but it’s believed Parle may have used it as a hideout. Intelligence also emerged to suggest Parle had a very close friend who lived in Perth’s northern suburbs and he may have been spotted at the Old Bailey Bar and Bistro in Joondalup, a venue which has since closed. There is also new information Parle may have spent time in the WA outback during his time on the run.
Speaking to The West Australian this week, former Scotland Yard police detective Peter Bleksley – who has dedicated the past five years of his life to hunt down Parle - said he was still working on the theory Parle was alive and was still on the run. He said he believed Parle was in Spain, but had uncovered fresh details about his links to Australia.
“Until I receive irrefutable evidence of his death, I will always work on the theory that Parle is alive,” he said. "Many sources have said he is very much living and breathing.”
In a YouTube clip posted online, Mr Bleksley said Parle could be using Spain as a hideout. “If I was a gambling man … I would put my money on Parle being in Spain,” he said. “So much of the information has indicated that that is where he is, or has been. In fact, I received information just a few weeks ago saying that he was in the Murcia region of Spain.”
