PC Neil Doyle killing: Two men guilty of manslaughter Published duration 31 July 2015

image copyright Other image caption Recently-married PC Neil Doyle had worked for the police for 10 years

Two men have been found guilty of killing an off-duty policeman in an attack during a night out in Liverpool.

PC Neil Doyle, 36, died after he was struck with a "pile driver" punch in the early hours of 19 December last year.

Andrew Taylor, 29, and Timmy Donovan, 30, of Huyton, were convicted of manslaughter at Liverpool Crown Court.

A third man, Christopher Spendlove, was cleared of manslaughter.

All three were cleared of murder after a five-week trial.

PC Doyle had been out drinking with fellow Merseyside officers Michael Steventon and Robert Marshall when the two groups of men met in the city's Seel Street just before 03:00.

Prosecutors said the defendants were "determined to get involved in a physical confrontation".

Taylor and Donovan were both found guilty of wounding with intent for an attack on PC Marshall.

image copyright Merseyside Police image caption Andrew Taylor (left) and Timmy Donovan will be sentenced in September

Taylor was also convicted of GBH in relation to an attack on PC Steventon.

Mr Spendlove was cleared of all charges.

During the trial, jurors heard the punch that struck PC Doyle left him staggering across the road before ending up in a gutter.

He died after suffering an injury to an artery in his neck, which led to bleeding over the surface of the brain.

It was the same injury that killed Australian cricketer Philip Hughes, the trial heard.

The two groups of men - who were not known to each other - presented very different versions of events to the court.

At one stage, the officers were accused of maintaining a "conspiracy of silence" , with barristers suggesting everyone involved had "piled in".

But PC Steventon denied this, and said the officers were made to feel "intimidated" after PC Doyle was "goaded" with the words "evening officer".

image copyright Google image caption The court heard the two groups of men met by "complete coincidence" on Liverpool's Seel Street

Taylor, a former professional footballer who earns £40,000 per year as a football agent, claimed the words were used as "a term of endearment".

He said PC Doyle became annoyed and had to be physically restrained.

Initially, Taylor told officers he had struck PC Doyle in self defence, but later denied it and said he had been mistaken.

Donovan, who was extradited from Germany following the death, also denied punching PC Doyle, but admitted hitting the other two officers after it "all broke out very quick".

He accepted that he struck PC Marshall with "excessive force" before going back and stamping on him.

But he claimed 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 court hearing, Det Supt 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."