A GROUP of off-duty police officers who were on a Christmas night out in Liverpool when one was killed said they had felt "intimidated" moments before the attack.

Police officer Michael Steventon, who was attacked alongside Pc Neil Doyle, said that football agent and former Forest Green Rovers player Andrew Taylor had approached their group and addressed Pc Doyle as "officer".

He said that Taylor had made him feel "unsettled" believing that the defendant had "an issue" because of the statements being directed at Pc Doyle.

He told the court that he became aware of Taylor as his group walked up Seel Street having left the Liverpool city centre bar Peacocks just before 3 am.

Giving evidence on Wednesday, June 24 he said: "Mr Taylor arrived and immediately addressed Neil Doyle and asked him if he was having a good evening, he finished the sentence with the word 'officer', 'are you having a good evening officer'. It was directed at Neil Doyle. He kept repeating things to that effect.

"As you can probably imagine it's a bit unsettling when someone approaches you when off-duty and identifies one of you as a police officer but at the same time, I thought it would be a throwaway thing, that'd just go away."

He added that Taylor was "very persistent", despite asking him to leave.

"It was a bit intimidating. It wasn't in a friendly way, it was in an intimidating manner.

"I think Neil was just like 'what do you want, go away' because obviously when something like that is being said it's worrying, you just want the situation to end and move from it."

He told the jury that he put himself in Taylor's "line of sight" to defuse the situation and moved him along as his colleague Pc Marshall intervened with Pc Doyle.

He said that he did not believe that Pc Doyle had known the defendant.

He added: "It appeared that his issue was with Neil. Everything had the word 'officer'. The male was just constantly addressing Neil Doyle in the same manner. We had been asking him to go away and obviously I thought that he had got an issue, he was addressing Neil Doyle he wasn't addressing me. I wanted to move him away to end the situation."

"I was telling him (Taylor) to go and have a good night, to leave it, he was still addressing him over my shoulder, not making eye contact with me just looking at Neil. I thought that if I could get in the way it might just dissuade him from anything."

He said he ushered Taylor away and saw Pc Doyle crossing the road.

He added that Taylor had taken the same direction as Pc Doyle and his colleague.

Upon seeing Taylor's co-defendants he said he told them "don't know what going on but can you ask your mate to leave".

Taylor stands accused of murder with his two co-defendants, Christopher Spendlove, 30, and friend Timmy Donovan, 30, at Liverpool Crown Court.

They also face charges of wounding with intent to Robert Marshall and causing grievous bodily harm to Michael Steventon.