Dad spots man armed with two knives hiding in his daughter's Wendy house

A thug was discovered hiding in a children's playhouse, armed with knives, after assaulting a staff member at Go Outdoors. Carl Parkinson and his accomplice David Grey attacked the employee while their associate, Julie O'Brien, attempted to steal hundreds of pounds worth of luxury goods from the store.

The offender was later found inside a kids' playhouse, in possession of two weapons, after a father noticed the intruder in his garden via CCTV, while his wife and children were at home. This incident followed another where the repeat offender bit a prison officer on the leg during a previous stint in jail.

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday that O'Brien entered Go Outdoors on Rimrose Road in Bootle, Liverpool, on May 1 this year and took three designer coats worth nearly £700 in total. When she tried to leave without paying, the 55 year old, of Sandfield Road, was confronted by staff and called out to Parkinson and Grey - who were waiting outside the shop.

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Prosecutor Gerald Baxter described how the latter intervened, allowing the thief to escape. O'Brien then handed the stolen items to a fourth defendant, Stephen Cunningham, who had previously received a 14-month suspended sentence for 18 months.

The perpetrator managed a getaway with stolen goods but dropped two coats in the street. When an employee tried to recover the items, Grey forcefully "pushed him up against a wall" and delivered two punches to his ribs, while Parkinson kneed him in the back of the thigh, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Revealing a knife, Parkinson warned: "Just f***ing drop it. It's not f***ing worth it."

The duo then absconded with the remaining two coats. Later apprehended, Parkinson, who is homeless, was caught by police on May 4 after a homeowner, William Holland, spotted him via CCTV in his garden while his family was inside the home.

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Officers discovered Parkinson hiding in a Wendy house with two Stanley knives. Additionally, he faced a charge following an event on February 20 last year at HMP Berwyn in North Wales, where he bit a security officer in the thigh post a dispute about not accessing the yard.

During questioning, Parkinson "denied that the robbery was anything to do with him and claimed that he was out for a walk". His past record includes convictions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, possessing weapons in public, battery, and theft from shops.

Lloyd Morgan, representing the defendant in court, said: "He has been in custody since the 4th of May. It is possibly his longest period of non-offending over the course of his record."

"He is making progress. He has not been taking any drugs. He has had plenty of time to think about the future. He does wish to leave offending behind him."

Grey, from Captains Lane, boasts a criminal history with 33 convictions spanning 98 offences - including 30 theft-related incidents, six drug-related matters, and an assault occasioning actual bodily harm dating back to 1996. John Weate, defending the 52 year old, told the court: "He has shown that he can keep himself away from trouble."

"He fell into the misuse of controlled substances in his teens as a consequence of a traumatic and difficult childhood. He found it extremely difficult over the years to rid himself of that problem. He has fallen back for a relatively short period period of time. He is proud that he has cleaned his act up."

O'Brien's extensive criminal past includes 50 entries for 120 offences, with a staggering 69 for theft and a charge for possession of class A drugs with intent to supply as recent as 2021. Her lawyer Julian Nutter commented: "She is somebody who, in many ways, has been a victim of the world, in that she is addicted to both class A drugs and has a serious addiction to alcohol."

"She has taken positive steps to address her substance misuse. She has got to a stage in her life where the door is open for her to try and reconstruct herself.

"She will be less of a pest if she gets over this addiction, and her mind is open to address these issues. This is, of course, back in the old routine. The routine needs to be stopped."

Parkinson pleaded guilty to theft, assault, two counts of possession of a bladed article in a public place, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. During a video link appearance to HMP Liverpool, he received a 42-month prison sentence from Recorder Ben Douglas-Jones KC, along with a two-year serious violence reduction order.

Grey admitted to theft and assault, while O'Brien confessed to theft; both were given 18-month community orders with 12-month drug rehabilitation requirements and up to 10 days of rehabilitation activity requirements.