LIVERPOOL MAN SHOT DEAD IN NETHERLANDS, INQUEST HEARS

Paul Parker, aged 52, died after being shot in Heerhugowaard, North Holland on June 1, an inquest at Bootle Town Hall heard on Thursday. Senior coroner for Sefton, St Helens and Knowsley Anita Bhardwaj stated that Parker was believed to have been involved in an altercation involving weapons which resulted in his death. Dutch authorities provided a provisional cause of death of gunshot wound. Earlier in the month, police in the Netherlands reported that two men were arrested following a shooting and stabbing incident at a business premises.

Local media outlets reported that Parker had been linked to the 2017 murders of Pieter Hoovers and his wife Tae in Amsterdam. Parker was never arrested in connection with those deaths. A cold-case team released details in 2024 suggesting the couple had probably been killed by a British criminal. Parker was born in Liverpool but was listed as of no fixed abode at the time of the inquest opening. Merseyside Police identified him using fingerprints.

No family members attended the inquest opening, though the coroner's court confirmed they had been made aware of the hearing. Ms Bhardwaj adjourned the inquest to December 18 and stated she would await the outcome of any investigation conducted by Dutch authorities. The full circumstances of Parker's death remain subject to investigation in the Netherlands.