Two bailed over murder of off-duty police officer

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/dec/25/two-bailed-murder-off-duty-police-officer

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A man and a woman who were arrested by detectives investigating the murder of an off-duty police constable have been released on bail on Christmas Day.

PC Neil Doyle, 36, was allegedly attacked in Liverpool city centre in the early hours of last Friday during a night out with colleagues.

Merseyside police said: “The 24-year-old woman and 29-year-old man arrested yesterday on suspicion of assisting an offender have today been bailed.”

Two men accused of murdering PC Doyle made their first appearance in court on Tuesday.

In a 10-minute hearing at Liverpool crown court, Andrew Taylor, 28, of Cherry Tree Road, Huyton, and Christopher Spendlove, 30, of Brandearth Hey, Stockbridge Village, were remanded in custody until 6 January.

Both defendants spoke only to confirm their names and dates of birth.

PC Doyle and two other off-duty officers were said to have been attacked in Colquitt Street at around 3.15am on Friday.

The two officers were treated in hospital for facial injuries.

Both defendants also face charges that they caused grievous bodily harm with intent to those two officers, named as Michael Steventon and Robert Marshall.

It is understood that both defendants, said to be friends, played football together while studying at Oklahoma City University in the United States.

Following PC Doyle’s death in hospital, his widow Sarah said in a statement: “Neil was very well loved by all of his family, friends and colleagues and it is a great loss to us all.

“We are finding it extremely difficult to come to terms with what has happened and need time to be left to grieve.”

The couple married in July and were due to go on their honeymoon next month.

A postmortem examination concluded that PC Doyle died from a fatal bleed around the brain.