Worrying: Steven Gerrard
reportedly had his car smashed up
Steven Gerrard's father has revealed how a
gangster threatened to shoot the Liverpool and England midfielder
but was frightened off by a 'fixer' asked to deal with the problem.
In a letter read to the jury at Lincoln Crown Court, Paul Gerrard
said the gangster - reportedly known as 'The Psycho' - threatened
to shoot his son in the legs and tried to extort money from him. It
is alledged the Liverpool player's car was also smashed up and he
was chased home from training.
However, the threats reportedly stopped when Gerrard's
father was introduced to 'underworld fixer' John Kinsella, who is
said to have put the frighteners on the gangster and his
associates. The letter written by Gerrard's father read: "I would
like to say that in 2001 my son Steven was being terrorised by a
notorious Liverpool gangster known as 'The Psycho' who was
threatening to maim my son by shooting him in the legs.
"Also he was trying to extort a large amount of money
from Steven. We immediately contacted the police and asked for
protection. "This went on for a long time, during which Steven's
car was smashed up and the gangster chased him while he was driving
home from training. "This was one of the worst times of our lives.
It was really having a bad effect on his career. Liverpool FC
provided security for Steven, but the threats still kept
coming.
"We were introduced by a friend to John Kinsella. I
told him about the ongoing threats and violence. John then
reassured me and my family he would resolve our nightmare. "From
that point until this day we have never had any more problems from
the Liverpool underworld. Steven and I have total respect for John
for what he did for us." The evidence came about as Kinsella and
three other men appeared in court accused of taking part in a
£41,000 robbery, a charge Kinsella has denied.
According to the
Sun, Kinsella said he was in the area as an 'enforcer',
using the Gerrard incident as an example, and said: "He was
demanding money and threatening to shoot Steven in the legs. "He
ambushed him outside his apartment in Southport. Steven was given
armed police protection because they feared for his safety that
much. "I took steps. I told him to stop it. He followed my
advice."