Two suspects in murder of notorious Liverpool gangster in Holland are moved to protective custody 'after assassin was sent from England to carry out hit'

Two men accused of murdering a notorious Liverpool gangster in the Netherlands have been given extra security after an 'assassination threat'. Paul Parker died on June 1 after he was shot during a fight in the Dutch city of Heerhugowaard. The 52-year-old had entered the premises armed with a knife while trying to collect a debt.Murder suspects René S, 65, and John S, 44 – whose full surnames have not been disclosed under Dutch privacy laws – were moved into protective custody after reports emerged of an assassin allegedly being sent from England to carry out a hit. It is unclear whether the men were specifically identified as the targets, but Dutch law enforcement appear to have concluded they were at risk. Under the special security measures, the suspects were put in solitary confinement. They were also required to receive visitors in a separate room away from the main visitor area. Reports of the alleged threat are said to have emerged while the men were being treated in hospital for serious injuries sustained during the fight with Parker.John S's lawyer, Michel de Klerk, told Dutch publication NH Nieuws that his client's family had also been threatened, as had he personally. Police have since informed De Klerk and René S's lawyer, Jordi L'Homme, that the threat against their clients is no longer considered active.But De Klerk questioned what the claim was based on, telling a preliminary hearing last week: 'We were given absolutely no explanation as to how or why. It's quite a coincidence that, just a few days before the hearing, all the threats have simply vanished. It's completely implausible.' Parker is alleged to have threatened and blackmailed John S, an acquaintance of René S, who owned the garage where the fight took place. At the time of his death, he was wanted over the murder of Dutchman Pieter Hoovers, 54, and his 32-year-old Thai wife Tae Kawepanya. Paul Parker - in sunglasses - with Pieter Hoovers. Dutch news outlets reported that Parker was a suspect in the murder of Mr Hoovers and his Thai wife, Tae Kawepanya Mr Hoovers, who has a background in martial arts, founded record label Outland Records before selling the business and relocating to Thailand in the mid-1990sThe couple died during a gun attack inside an apartment in the De Pijp neighbourhood of Amsterdam on July 17, 2017. Last year, police in Amsterdam released CCTV footage of a 'British criminal' suspected of involvement in the crime and offered a €20,000 (£17,300) reward for information.They have since identified the suspect as Parker, according to reports in Dutch media. The Mail has seen a photograph from several years ago which shows Parker on a boat with Mr Hoovers, suggesting they were once friends.Mr Hoovers, who had a background in martial arts, founded record label Outland Records before selling the business and relocating to Thailand in the mid-1990s. He was visiting Holland in 2017 with his partner when they were murdered.One man, who claims to have been a friend of Mr Hoovers, posted a message incriminating Parker in the double murder.He posted: 'Rot in hell scumbag. On Monday the guy who brutally killed my friends Pieter and Tae Hoovers in July 2017 and has been on the run for justice for years got what he deserved. He was shot at close range.'The Mail understands Paul Parker left the UK around 25 years ago.Parker and his brother David were both jailed in 1993 for their part in the killing of a teenager during a botched drug deal.Phillip Green, 17, from Warrington, was stabbed in the heart after he went to Walton Hall Park in Liverpool with £1,000 to buy drugs.Police later arrived at Phillip's home in Warrington and took his parents to Walton hospital where doctors were unable to save him.Paul and David Parker were recorded by police discussing their roles in the incident. The police investigation focused on an unknown man who appeared on camera footage three times around the time of their murders in 2017Liverpool Crown Court heard how Phillip was stabbed in the heart by a third man who was not identified.Paul and David Parker were both jailed for five years.Speaking to the Liverpool Echo in 2014, Phillip's mother Pat said: 'The memories have never faded. 'I remember every detail of that day as if it was yesterday, it's like a film being played. But I wouldn't ever want to forget it. It was the last day I saw Phillip alive.'Opening Parker's inquest in June at Bootle Town Hall, senior coroner for Sefton, St Helens and Knowsley Anita Bhardwaj said: 'I understand that whilst he was in the Netherlands, Paul was believed to have been involved in an altercation involving weapons which has resulted in his death.'The provisional cause of death provided by Dutch authorities was a gunshot wound, the coroner's court was told.The inquest opening, which lasted only a few minutes, heard Mr Parker was born in Liverpool but was listed as of no fixed abode as no address was given to the coroner.He had been identified by Merseyside Police using fingerprints, Ms Bhardwaj said.No family members were in attendance for the inquest opening, but they had been made aware of the hearing, the coroner's court heard.Ms Bhardwaj adjourned the inquest to December 18 and said she would await the outcome of any investigation in the Netherlands.A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said earlier this month: 'We are supporting the family of a British man who died in the Netherlands and are in contact with the local authorities.'