‘Nice neighbour’ behind Liverpool parade carnage

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

There was no way that the 134 people who turned out to watch Liverpool FC’s victory parade hours later – including infants, children and the elderly – would fall victim to his “calculated act of violence”, according to witnesses.

After months of denials Doyle changed his plea to guilty moments before the prosecution were prepared to open their case at Liverpool Crown Court.

A former Royal Marine commando turned cyber security expert is now facing years in prison after admitting multiple counts of attempting and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

According to people who knew Doyle, he stayed away from drugs and alcohol, enjoyed running and bicycling, and was well liked by his neighbors – stopping by for a chat when he walked his dog around the property.

The picture is a stark contrast to what police and prosecutors were preparing to argue to the jury, moments before Doyle unexpectedly turned himself in on Wednesday.

According to chief Crown prosecutor Sarah Hammond, speaking after the hearing, the guilty pleas meant that Doyle had “finally admitted that he knowingly drove into a crowd of innocent people”.

“Dashcam footage from Doyle’s vehicle shows that as he approached Dale Street and Water Street, he became more agitated at the sight of the crowd,” he said.

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

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

“He had been playing with the trees in the front garden all morning, he was always gardening,” said a woman who lives nearby, requesting anonymity.

“He seemed like a really nice guy.”

“I was out with my son and he said ‘Hello, how are you?’ etc. He always let it go.”

Asked whether anything seemed unusual in his conduct that morning, he said: “Absolutely nothing”.

Neighbors in Burghill Road said they recognized the Ford Galaxy Titanium in the news after footage of the chaos on Water Street emerged.

“I couldn’t believe it”, said one. “I didn’t want to see. I think maybe he was nervous?”

One man said: “His wife came out the next morning and another of our neighbors asked him ‘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.”

A former work colleague, who met Doyle while working for an IT firm in Merseyside about 13 years ago, described the relationship with Doyle due to their shared military background and told the BBC: “He was really a mentor to me.

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

“We both share military backgrounds so I think we had a shared sense of humor.”

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

She said she traveled with Doyle to Kenya on a group excursion to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, claiming that “when he did anything he always wanted to do it in the best possible way.

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

“He barely broke a sweat.”

Both former co-workers said they were never aware that Doyle ever drank heavily or used drugs, and they had no idea that he had the explosive temper that led to the incidents in May.

In total Doyle admitted 31 offences, including 17 counts 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 count of affray.

The charges relate to 29 victims, ranging in age from six-month-old Teddy Iveson to 77-year-old Susan Pasi.

The sentencing will begin on December 15.