Who is Paul Doyle?

PAUL Doyle had a criminal career which spanned over five decades but now insists he is a changed man.

The gangster was jailed in 2015 after being unmasked as the head of a drugs ring in Manchester.

Who is Paul Doyle?

Paul Doyle was a big-time crook from Salford known as "One Punch Doyle".

In his criminal years - which spanned 50 years - he was feared and respected by other fellow Salford criminals.

The Manchester hardman made his reputation in a single night at the city’s Pips nightclub in the early Seventies.

In a quick fight, he managed to knock out five people who tried their chances against him, with each one falling by a single blow.

Detectives in the city knew him as a "handy lad" who was not to be messed with.

One detective said after viewing CCTV of Doyle knocking someone else out that "it was one the best punches I've ever seen".

He became a gangster, drug dealer, robber and Manchester United hooligan.

Doyle's troubles date back to his youth.

He was one of seven children born to a Jewish mother and an Irish father in the late 1950s.

When his parents split he went to live with his father along with two of his siblings.

Doyle told documentary maker, James English, that his dad worked long hours, so he and his brother would burgle shops, which led to run-ins with the police.

His behaviour landed him in care where he learned how to defend himself.

At the age of 12 he was arrested and Doyle said he landed in hospital when he fought back after officers hit him.

At 16, he was part of a group who robbed a warehouse, managing to get away with £3,500.

When was Paul Doyle released from prison?

In October 2022, it was announced that Doyle had been released from prison on licence at the age of 64.

He had served half of a 16-year sentence.

The 5ft 8inch former gangster has now vowed to use his newfound freedom to steer young people away from crime.

He said: "Over the years, with experience, I've come to realise there are different ways of doing things than just going back and forth from prison.

"When I saw young lads in prison, they are like zombies.

"The person I was then isn't the person I am now. I can't go back to that life.

"If I breach my licence, I'll be going away for a very long time."

Since being released from prison, he released a book called Surviving The Madness which details his life as a criminal.

Why did Paul Doyle go to prison?

Doyle was jailed in 2015 for plotting to flood the north with large quantities of heroin, cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines worth £300million.

He used the money to pay for a comfortable life in an £800,000 home in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.