‘Nice neighbour’ behind Liverpool parade carnage

The day Paul Doyle ploughed his two-tonne Ford Galaxy into a dense crowd of pedestrians had started with some gardening and friendly chat with his neighbours.

According to witnesses there was nothing to suggest that hours later 134 people – including babies, children and the elderly – out to watch Liverpool FC’s victory parade would become victims of his “act of calculated violence”.

After months of denials Doyle changed his pleas to guilty at Liverpool Crown Court, moments before the prosecution was set to open its case.

The former Royal Marines Commando turned cyber security expert is now facing many years in prison after admitting multiple counts of causing and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.

According to people who knew Doyle, he shunned drugs and alcohol, was heavily into running and cycling and was well-liked by his neighbours – stopping for chats as he walked his dog around the estate.

That picture stands in stark contrast to what police and prosecutors were preparing to argue in front of a jury, moments before Doyle unexpectedly folded on Wednesday.

According to Chief Crown Prosecutor Sarah Hammond, speaking after the hearing, the guilty pleas meant Doyle had “finally accepted that he intentionally drove into crowds of innocent people”.

“Dashcam footage from Doyle’s vehicle shows that as he approached Dale Street and Water Street, he became increasingly agitated by the crowds,” she said.

“Driving a vehicle into a crowd is an act of calculated violence. This was not a momentary lapse by Paul Doyle – it was a choice he made that day and it turned celebration into mayhem.”

In the quiet Croxteth cul-de-sac where Doyle moved in with his wife Alison, a local teacher, and three sons about 10 years ago, residents were mystified at how a “very good neighbour” had come to cause such carnage on 26 May.

“He had been out in the front garden all that morning messing with the trees, he was always out gardening,” said one woman living nearby, who did not wish to be named.

“He genuinely seemed like a nice man.

“I was going out with my son and he said ‘hello how are you?’ and so on. He always let on.”

Asked if anything seemed unusual with his demeanor that morning, she said: “Nothing at all.”

Neighbours in Burghill Road said they recognised the Ford Galaxy Titanium on the news after footage of the chaos on Water Street began to filter through.

“I couldn’t believe it”, one said. “I didn’t want to watch. I think maybe he panicked?”

One man said: “His wife had come out the next morning and one of our other neighbours asked her ‘was that your car?’

“She burst into tears and said ‘yes’, and you didn’t really see her after that.

“I feel sorry for them, it’s not their fault and it’s ruined their lives.”

One former work colleague, who met Doyle when they worked for an IT firm in Merseyside around 13 years ago, described bonding with Doyle over their shared military background and told the BBC: “He was a mentor to me really.

“I was new to my career, I was exploring avenues on what I wanted to do, and he was a great teacher and mentor, with a great sense of humour.

“We both share military background so I think we had a shared humour.”

Another former colleague at a separate Liverpool company, who worked with Doyle back in 2005, described him as “very competitive”.

He said he travelled to Kenya with Doyle on a group excursion to trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in neighbouring Tanzania, claiming “when he did anything he always wanted to do it the best way.

“When we were up there, coming down, I think a couple of French guys started running down and he didn’t want them to beat him so he ran down after them.

“He barely broke a sweat.”

Both former colleagues said they were never aware of Doyle ever drinking heavily or using drugs, and had no sense he had the kind of explosive temper that led to the events in May.

In total Doyle admitted 31 offences, including 17 of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, nine of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, three of wounding with intent, one of dangerous driving and one of affray.

The charges related to 29 victims, aged from six-month-old Teddy Eveson to 77-year-old Susan Passey.

Sentencing will begin on 15 December.