Paul Doyle: ‘Good neighbor’ behind Liverpool parade massacre

The day Paul Doyle plowed his two-ton Ford Galaxy into a dense crowd of pedestrians began with a little gardening and a friendly chat with his neighbors.

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

After months of denials, Doyle changed his plea to guilty at Liverpool Crown Court, moments before the prosecution opened his case.

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

According to people who knew Doyle, he avoided drugs and alcohol, enjoyed running and cycling and was well liked by his neighbors, stopping to chat while walking his dog around the estate.

That image stands in stark contrast to what police and prosecutors were preparing to argue before a jury moments before Doyle unexpectedly relented 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 a crowd of innocent people”.

“Dashboard camera footage from Doyle’s vehicle shows that as he approached Dale Street and Water Street, he was becoming increasingly agitated by the crowd,” he 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 turned the celebration into chaos.”

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

“He had been in the front yard all morning playing with the trees, he was always gardening,” said a woman who lives nearby and did not want to be identified.

“He really seemed like a good man.

“I was hanging out with my son and he said ‘hello, how are you?’ and so on. “He always made it clear.”

When asked if there was anything unusual about her behavior that morning, she said: “Nothing at all.”

Neighbors on Burghill Road said they recognized the Ford Galaxy Titanium on the news after images of the chaos on Water Street began to leak.

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

One man said: “His wife was out the next morning and one of our neighbors asked her, ‘Was that your car?’

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

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

A former work colleague, who met Doyle when they worked for an IT company in Merseyside about 13 years ago, described the bond with Doyle over their shared military experience, telling the BBC: “He really was a mentor to me.

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

“We both shared military backgrounds, so I think we had a shared humor.”

Another former colleague at another Liverpool firm, who worked with Doyle in 2005, described him as “very competitive”.

He said he traveled to Kenya with Doyle on a group tour to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in neighboring Tanzania, stating that “when he did something, he always wanted to do it the best way.”

“When we were up there, going down, I think a couple of Frenchmen started running down and he didn’t want to get hit, so he ran after them.

“He barely broke a sweat.”

Both former colleagues said they never knew Doyle ever drank heavily or did drugs, and they didn’t get the sense he had the kind of explosive temper that led to the events of 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, from six-month-old Teddy Eveson to 77-year-old Susan Passey.

The sentencing will begin on December 15.