‘Nice neighbour’ behind Liverpool parade carnage

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

There was no sign that 134 people, including babies, children and elderly people, who came out to watch Liverpool FC’s victory parade would become victims of a “calculated act of violence” hours later, according to witnesses.

After months of denials, Doyle changed his plea to guilty at Liverpool Crown Court just minutes before the prosecution was due to open its case.

The former Royal Marines Commando-turned-cybersecurity expert now faces many years in prison after pleading guilty to causing and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent.

According to people who knew Doyle, he stayed away from drugs and alcohol, loved running and biking, and was well-liked by his neighbors; He was stopping to chat while walking his dog around the property.

That picture stands in stark contrast to the one that police and prosecutors were preparing to argue in front of a jury moments before Doyle unexpectedly gave up on Wednesday.

According to Crown Prosecutor Sarah Hammond, speaking after the hearing, the guilty plea meant Doyle “finally admitted that he deliberately walked into crowds of innocent people”.

“Footage from Doyle’s vehicle shows him becoming increasingly agitated by the crowd as he approached Dale Street and Water Street,” he said.

“Driving into a crowd is a calculated act of violence. This was not a spur of the moment mistake by Paul Doyle; it was a choice he made on the day that turned the celebration into mayhem.”

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

“He was out in the front yard all morning working on trees, always gardening,” said a woman who lives nearby and asked not to give her name.

“He seemed like a really nice guy.

“I was going out with my son and he said, ‘Hi, how are you?’ he said. etc. He always let me.”

Asked if there was anything unusual about his demeanor that morning, he said: “Nothing.”

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

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

One man said: “The next morning his wife came out and one of our other neighbors asked her: ‘Was that your car?’ he asked.

“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 ruined their lives.”

A former colleague of mine, who met Doyle about 13 years ago while working at an IT firm in Merseyside, described their bond over their shared military background and told the BBC: “He was truly a mentor to me.

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

“We both share a military background, so I think we have a common sense of humor.”

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

He said he went to Kenya with Doyle on a group trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in neighboring Tanzania, and claimed that “when he does something, he always wants to do it in the best possible way.”

“While we were there, coming down, I think some French men started running down and he didn’t want them to beat him, so he ran after them.

“He barely broke a sweat.”

Both former colleagues said they never knew Doyle was drinking heavily or using drugs and had no idea he had an explosive temper leading to the events in May.

In total, Doyle pleaded guilty to 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 relate to 29 victims, ranging in age from six-month-old Teddy Eveson to 77-year-old Susan Passey.

Sentencing will begin on December 15.