A letter from Steven Gerrard’s father Paul, has been read out in a court hearing into the case of a robbery of £41,000 in which a security guard was tied up.

The letter extolling the virtues of one of the accused men, underworld ‘fixer’ John Kinsella, has been read out and used as a ‘character witness’ statement.

The letter says that Steven Gerrard was being threatened by the notorious gangster George Bromley Jr in 2001. Bromley, known locally as ‘The Psycho’, had been terrorising the Liverpool captain, threatening to shoot him in the legs and trying to extort money.

The Gerrard’s reported the incidents to the police for protection, but the attacks continued. A family friend then introduced the Gerrard’s to Kinsella, who reassured them that the he would resolve the nightmare.

The letter ends, “From that time 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. Yours faithfully, Paul Gerrard.”