Terror as aged couple woken by burglar who pressured them to drink thriller black liquid
Maureen Parkisson, 79, and her husband Roland were woken at 5am by an intruder who demanded bank cards and PIN numbers while holding two kitchen knives in Royton, Greater Manchester
Roman Road, Royton, Oldham
A traumatised elderly couple have described the moment they were woken up by a “calm” knife-wielding burglar who stole their wallets and demanded they drink a “black liquid.”
Maureen Parkisson was the first to spot the intruder after he roused her from sleep by tapping her shoulder as she lay beside her husband, Roland. Terror-stricken and shocked, Maureen says she spoke to the hooded man, who was dressed in a hi-vis jacket and gloves when he broke into their home on Roman Road, Royton, at approximately 5am on Tuesday (February 10).
“I felt this hand on my shoulder, thinking it was Roland waking me up,” she told the Manchester Evening News.
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“I saw his face, he had a hi-vis jacket on, he had gloves on and a hood. I said, ‘what do you want? !’ And he said ‘I’m working outside. I said, ‘at 5am in the morning? I don’t think so!'”.
The 79-year-old grandmother says the man proceeded to demand the couple hand over their bank cards and consume a “black liquid” he had brought along.
She says the trespasser also brandished two bread knives at the pair, which he had taken from their kitchen. According to Roland, the intruder poured the black liquid into an empty glass discovered on the bedside table and ordered Roland to drink it, which he tasted before immediately spitting it out.
“He said to Roland ‘this’ll make you sleep,'” Maureen explained. The pair, who have been together for 50 years, described the intruder’s behaviour during the 15-minute ordeal as “calm” and said that he spoke in a “softly spoken” manner when he demanded the couple’s bank cards and their PIN number.
Discussing the impact it has had on them, Roland said: “I keep seeing him, it keeps replaying in my head.”
Maureen added: “I just see his face all the time now, he was only a young chap. He looked between 20-40 years old. We’re still in shock, we take so long to go to bed now.
“I’ve had a horrible year, I broke my hip, my daughter has been in hospital. I keep thinking when is it going to finish. It’s horrible, we’ve been in this house since 1986 and we have never had any problems.”
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that the trespasser made off with wallets and demanded PIN numbers whilst brandishing two of the victims’ kitchen knives. The police also say that he took their phones.
The suspect was described as a black male of large build, approximately 6ft tall, with big curly hair and dressed in all black with a yellow high‐visibility gilet.
Officers believe an individual may be deliberately targeting elderly residents in the Royton area and suspect that the incident is linked to another burglary which took place at Mellalieu Street due to the similar description of the offender. Police have stated that in both instances, there were no signs of forced entry and it’s believed the culprit gained access through front doors that had been shut but not locked.
Detective Chief Inspector Zahid Latif from Oldham CID commented: “We are taking this extremely seriously. Neighbourhood officers are conducting increased patrols in the area, and Oldham Council and Adult Social Care have been fully briefed.
“Our investigations are well underway to locate and identify the man responsible for intimidating and committing these horrific crimes against vulnerable members of our community. GMP will not tolerate this behaviour.
“Detectives will be relentless in their pursuit of this offender, and we will utilise every resource at our disposal to bring him into custody. We are here to ensure people’s safety, and that is precisely what we intend to do.
“I want to urge everyone to make sure their windows and doors are locked, even when they’re at home, and to support elderly neighbours or relatives who may feel uneasy at this time. If anyone has any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, please contact us on 101, use GMP LiveChat quoting log 39 of 16/02/2026 or call 999 in an emergency.”
