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Andrew Taylor and Timmy
Donovan convicted of Neil Doyle's Manslaughter and Serious Assault
MERSEYSIDE Police Detective
Superintendent Mike Shaw, said:- "On Friday, 31 July 2015, Andrew Taylor
and Timmy Donovan have been convicted of Neil Doyle's Manslaughter and the
Serious Assault of Robert Marshall. Taylor was also found guilty of the assault
of Michael Steventon. 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. Neil and his friends, who were all off
duty Police Officers, were enjoying a Christmas night with colleagues on the
night of the attack and the three defendants were also enjoying a night out.
Sadly, what should have been a good night out for both groups in the run up to
Christmas turned in to a nightmare and resulted in the death of Neil Doyle and
serious injuries to his colleagues. 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. Sadly, in drink
some people seem to lose their common sense and throw caution to the wind. It's
difficult to know what drives people on a night out to punch someone else, but
all too often we see the consequences of people who strike out at others after
having consumed alcohol. I hope that the verdicts given today will discourage
others from hitting out in the heat of the moment and encourage them to think of
the consequences of their actions. No night out should end like this and
hopefully these verdicts will bring home the enormity of what they have done in
a moment of madness and the pain and heartache they have caused. Throughout the
court case the character and integrity of Neil Doyle, Robert Marshall and
Michael Steventon was questioned by the defence and I would like to take this
opportunity to say that their integrity has been borne out by decisions of the
jury. It doesn't matter who you are, or what you do for a living, no-one
deserves to be set upon like they were in the early hours of 19 December. CCTV
footage shown to the jury shows that none of the officers offered any resistance
when they were attacked and none of them hit back. Everything indicated that
they were trying to diffuse the situation by walking away. Finally, I would like
to thank the investigation team for the professionalism they have shown
throughout this case. No investigation involving a death is easy, there is
always a human cost and our officers are fully aware of that, but when a murder
investigation involves a colleague it is even harder. You have to remain
impartial and objective to ensure that you maintain the integrity of the case.
Throughout the officers and staff working on this case have been ultimate
professionals and I am very proud of all those involved."
Sarah Doyle, the wife of PC Neil Doyle, have issued the following statement
following the conviction of Andrew Taylor and Timothy Donovan for manslaughter:-
"Neil was a loving caring husband, son, son in law, brother and uncle. He was a
friend to everyone he met. He was proud to be a policeman and loved to work with
the public. No amount of justice will ever compensate for the loss of Neil and
this is something that we as a family will have to live with every day for the
rest of our lives. I will never forgive them for what they have done. One punch
was all it took to kill Neil and people should be aware of their actions whilst
under the influence of drink and the devastating consequences and heartbreak
that one punch can do. Neil was killed on the streets that he lived to protect.
I would like to thank the members of the public for their support and words of
comfort. It has been overwhelming. I would also like to thank everyone at
Merseyside Police. It is hard for them to have to deal with a tragedy like this
at any time but when it's a colleague or friend then it must be even harder.
Their professionalism and dedication throughout has been admirable and I don't
think I can ever thank them enough for their continued support. Thanks also to
the Prosecution Counsel Mr Johnson and Mr Riding. The hard part is not over for
us we now need to be able to come to terms with what has happened and be left in
private to grieve."
Christopher Spendlove was found not guilty of all charges.
Sentencing of Taylor and Donovan is scheduled to take place on Friday, 11
September 2015.
Breakdown of verdicts are as follows:-
Andrew Taylor...
► Murder of PC Doyle - Not Guilty
► Manslaughter of PC Doyle - Guilty
► Wounding with intent of PC Marshall - Guilty
► GBH with intent of PC Steventon - Guilty
Timmy Donovan...
► Murder of PC Doyle - Not Guilty
► Manslaughter of PC Doyle - Guilty
► Wounding with intent of PC Marshall - Guilty
► GBH with intent of PC Steventon - Not Guilty
► GBH without intent of PC Steventon - Not Guilty
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