Legal News

A court has convicted two men on manslaughter charges, after killing an off duty policeman in Liverpool last December – while a third man was acquitted of all charges.

BBC News reports that Andrew Taylor, 29 and Timmy Donovan, 30 of Huyton, on Merseyside – and a third man, Christopher Spendlove – were cleared of murder charges after the five-week trial.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that PC Neil Doyle, 36, died after he was struck with a “pile driver” punch in the early hours of 19 December.

PC Doyle was drinking with fellow Merseyside officers Michael Steventon and Robert Marshall, when they crossed paths with the three defendants in Seel Street in Liverpool just before 3am.

The prosecution said that the defendants were “determined to get involved in a physical confrontation” with the three police officers, although the men did not know each other.
Taylor and Donovan were both found guilty of wounding with intent for an attack on PC Marshall – and Taylor was also convicted of GBH involving an attack on PC Steventon.
Mr Spendlove was cleared of all charges, however.

However, the punch that struck PC Doyle had left him “staggering across the road before ending up in a gutter”, the jury was told. He had died after suffering an injury to an artery in his neck, resulting in bleeding on the surface of the brain.

The court heard that the brain injury PC Doyle sustained was the same injury that had killed Australian cricketer Philip Hughes.

It is reported that, in court, the two groups of men presented “very different versions of events”.

At one stage, the police officers were accused of maintaining a conspiracy of silence – and defence lawyers suggested that on the night PC Doyle had died “everyone involved had piled in”.

However, PC Steventon denied this allegation – and said the officers were made to feel “intimidated”, after PC Doyle was goaded with the words “evening officer”.

Taylor – a former professional footballer who earns £40,000 a year as a football agent – told the court the words were used as “a term of endearment”. He alleged that PC Doyle had become “annoyed” – and had to be physically restrained.

At first, Taylor told officers he had struck PC Doyle in self-defence – but he later denied this and said he had been “mistaken”. Taylor admitted striking PC Doyle’s two colleagues, however.

Donovan – who was extradited from Germany following PC Doyle’s death –also denied punching PC Doyle. However, he admitted striking the other two officers after it “all broke out very quick”. He conceded that he had struck PC Marshall with “excessive force”, before returning to him to stamp on him. However, Donovan alleged that it was Taylor who had “knocked out” PC Doyle.

Mr Spendlove – a former football coach in the US – claimed he had been an innocent bystander and had not joined in the fighting.

Taylor and Donovan will be sentenced in September.
Speaking after the hearing, Detective Superintendent Mike Shaw of Merseyside Police said:

“We welcome the verdicts, but ultimately nothing can bring Neil back – and his family are still struggling to come to terms with his loss and will never get over his tragic death.

"Taylor and Donovan have also ruined their own lives. They were of previously good character and hadn't been involved in criminality prior to that night. In fact, Taylor had a promising career ahead of him in the sporting world.

“But their rash actions – following the consumption of large amounts of alcohol – have ruined what could have been a bright future; and their families are also now left to pick up the pieces.

A spokesman for the Police Federation said it would continue to offer support to PC Doyle's family.

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