Off-duty off icer battered to death for being a bobby
PC may have been recognised by his attackers
A POLICEMAN murdered yesterday on a night out with his fellow officers may have been targeted because of his job.
Neil Doyle, a 36-year-old beat bobby, was set upon by three men in what his boss described as an unprovoked and vicious attack.
Badly beaten, he lost consciousness and died in hospital. Two colleagues were also injured in the incident.
Police say it appears the gang of attackers knew their victims were off- duty officers. Sir Jon Murphy, Merseyside’s Chief Constable, said: ‘Constable Doyle was enjoying a Christmas night out with his work colleagues.
‘They were subjected to an apparently unprovoked and vicious attack by a group of males. There is no indication whatso- ever that they were involved in any kind of argument or altercation earlier in the evening. The officer I have spoken to has i ndicated that the i ndividuals who approached them referred to them as police officers.
‘They then assaulted the officers, leaving two with nasty head injuries and resulting in the tragic death of Neil.’
The fight, which involved no weapons, broke out in Colquitt Street, central Liverpool, at 3.15am following the officers’ Christmas party at a pub.
The attackers vanished when it became clear that Mr Doyle was seriously hurt.
Officers and bouncers from a nearby club tried to revive him before paramedics arrived. The street was cordoned off as forensics officers looked for clues.
Ryan McMahon, who owns the Aloha club outside which the attack happened, said his doormen told him the officers and their attackers appeared to know each other. ‘There were two groups of three men walking past Aloha when they started fighting each other,’ he said.
‘A couple of punches were thrown, then one of them stumbled over to the other side of the road – he didn’t fall down at first. After a couple of minutes when he didn’t get up his mates went to help him. Our doormen went over and tried to resuscitate him, performing CPR until the ambulance came. There were a lot of offduty police officers there by that time.
‘Some female officers were really upset, screaming and shouting.’
The two off-duty officers who were with Mr Doyle needed hospital treatment – one for a fractured cheekbone and the other for a less serious facial injury.
Mr Doyle married only five months ago and he and wife Sarah, 37, had booked a belated honeymoon for the new year. Sir Jon said the PC was a patrol officer who had served with the force for ten years.
He had won a commendation for arresting three violent robbers.
The Chief Constable said it was a ‘ sad day’ for Merseyside police and sent his ‘heartfelt condolences’ to Mrs Doyle and the officer’s family. Flags were flown at halfmast at police stations across Merseyside
‘Some female officers were really upset’ ‘A good, skilled and dependable cop’
as a mark of respect and Peter Singleton, chairman of the area’s Police Federation, said colleagues were devastated.
‘He was a good, well-liked, hard-working bobby who did his best to support the community,’ Mr Singleton said. ‘He had commendations from the force for his good work. Sometimes it seems hollow and false to say these words but he really was a good, skilled, dependable cop, who would always do his best for the public.
‘If you’re a sergeant, police constables like Mr Doyle are exactly what you want. He will be sorely missed.’
Mr Doyle’s wife, his mother, Theresa, 61, and brother, Greg, 42, were too upset to talk and were being comforted by friends and family last night.