Lucy Hargreaves

Status:

Open

Offense Location:

Walton, Liverpool, England

Summary:

Lucy Hargreaves was a 22-year-old mother of three shot dead in her Walton, Liverpool home on August 3, 2005. Three masked men burst into her home in the early hours and shot her with a sawn-off shotgun before setting the house on fire. Her partner and two-year-old daughter escaped through a window. The case remains unsolved, with 21 arrests but no convictions; Kevin Parle is considered the prime suspect.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

In the early hours of August 3, 2005, Lucy Hargreaves was asleep on the sofa in her home at Lambourne Avenue, Walton, when three masked men burst into the property armed with a sawn-off shotgun. Lucy was shot twice in the stomach and once to the head from close range. The attackers then poured petrol on her duvet and around the entrance and stairs of the property, setting it alight. Lucy's partner Gary Campbell and their two-year-old daughter were asleep upstairs. Both managed to escape through a second-floor window. Gary Campbell attempted to rescue Lucy from the flames, but she had already died from her gunshot wounds. Police investigators believed Lucy was not the intended target; rather, her partner Gary Campbell was thought to be the target of this attack.

Additional Details:

The investigation was substantial, with Merseyside Police arresting 21 people in connection with the case. In 2007, Anthony Downes and Kirk Bradley stood trial for Lucy's murder but were acquitted after the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence. Both men are currently serving prison sentences for presiding over a 'guns-for-hire' gang. It was alleged during the trial that the attack was motivated by revenge—Downes' younger brother had been killed in 1993 when hit by a stolen car in which Gary Campbell was allegedly a passenger. Police identified Kevin Parle as the prime suspect. Parle fled the UK shortly after the murder and remains at large over 20 years later, making him one of Britain's most wanted fugitives. Unconfirmed sightings place him in Spain, the United States, and Australia. A comprehensive review of the murder was launched by Merseyside Police in 2023 and remains ongoing. The family released a previously unseen photograph of Lucy taken at a college in 2025 as part of the 20th anniversary appeal.

Case Last Updated:

Oct 06, 2026