Linda and Michael Duffy silently hatched a plan of escape
20:42, 08 Jul 2025Updated 21:09, 08 Jul 2025
Police at the scene on Calder Road in Everton(Image: Liverpool ECHO)
An 89-year-old man sent a secret signal to his wife as a stranger threatened them with a gun and knife. Linda and Michael Duffy, from Everton, silently hatched a plan of escape after an armed man burst into their home.
The couple were watching the Wimbledon tennis tournament in their living room on Monday, July 7, when they heard a sound coming from their kitchen at around 8.15pm.
Linda, 67, said the couple thought the noise was coming from netting on the kitchen back door, which was banging due to the wind. However, the couple then heard their cutlery drawer being opened.
She said: “We heard the cutlery drawer in the kitchen go, which is where the knives are and a man just burst into the living room with a knife from the drawer and a gun.
“He kept asking ‘where is he, where is he hidden?’ He kept going through all the rooms and slamming the doors. He kept saying ‘tell me where they are or I am going to shoot you’.
“The man kept lifting all the curtains up and going through the rooms. He was convinced, but there was no one in the house. I just kept my hand on the door handle in the back kitchen.”
As the perpetrator ransacked the couple’s home, smashing and throwing furniture, Michael, 89, came up with an idea to alert the police.
Linda said: “My husband was sat in the chair in the living room and he told [the perpetrator] he wanted to use the toilet, but he wouldn’t let him. [Michael got up] and then slid down the door and said he was having a heart attack, but he was putting it on.
“I said to [the intruder] ‘I need help, I need to help, let me phone an ambulance’.”
The 67-year-old said she was worried at first that her husband had fallen ill, however she noticed that Michael had “winked at her” to let her know he was pretending. Linda was then able to call 999 where she spoke to an operator and whispered they were being held hostage.
Paramedics arrived at the scene, however the intruder reportedly would not let the ambulance crew inside. A paramedic spoke to the man through the couple’s letterbox where they told him if he wasn’t going to let him in they would have to phone the police.
Linda said it was at this point the man ran away through the back. Linda said the couple have been left extremely shaken following the awful ordeal.
They are currently at a family member’s house while police carry out their investigation. Linda added: “You really don’t think anything like this would happen to you. I can’t stop shaking inside. I haven’t been able to sleep.”
Linda said the couple wanted to share what happened to warn people to be cautious. She added: “You never think it is going to happen to you, you really don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Merseyside Police confirmed to the ECHO that officers received reports of a man in possession of a firearm in the area of Mere Lane in Everton at around 8.10pm on Monday and had entered a house on Calder Road.
In a statement a spokesperson said: “At around 8.10pm last night, Monday, July 7, we received reports of a man in possession of a firearm in the area of Mere Lane in Everton. We received further reports that the man had entered a house on Calder Road and used a knife to make threats towards the occupiers. He then made off from the address.
“He was detained a short time later in the rear garden of a property in Wye Street and arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm without a certificate, possession of a knife blade in a public place and aggravated burglary. He is currently in custody and enquiries remain ongoing.”
A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm, possession of a knife blade in a public place and aggravated burglary.
Chief Inspector Andy Hughes said: “There are no reports of any injuries or suggestion that the firearm was used but we understand how shocking this incident must have been for people living in the local area. Thankfully, the man was promptly detained and is now in custody.
“Gun crime has no place on the streets of Merseyside and our work continues to remove weapons and those who choose to carry them or use them to cause fear or intimidation from our streets.
“We remain in the area today making enquiries and would encourage anyone with information or believes they captured something significant on CCTV or a doorbell camera to come forward and speak to us.”
Anyone with information should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’. You can also report information via their website here. or call 101 quoting incident reference 25000559200.
Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously In an emergency always call 999.