The Doran Family: Liverpool’s Relentless Cycle of Violence
In the pre-dawn quiet of Walton, Liverpool, 53-year-old Kevin Bennett lay sleeping in an alleyway behind an Iceland supermarket — unaware that the next twenty minutes would seal his fate. His killers were not seasoned underworld enforcers, but two teenage brothers and a friend, all tied to a family whose name was already whispered in connection with bloodshed.
By August 2012, violence had become almost a family trade for the Dorans. Connor Doran, 17, his 14-year-old brother Brandon, and their friend Simon Evans stumbled across Bennett after a night of wandering the streets.
Hours earlier, Bennett had been caught on CCTV leaving the Queens Arms pub, clutching a plastic bag of beer. Connor, the self-appointed ringleader, goaded Evans into attacking the sleeping man. Brandon kept watch while the kicks and punches rained down, the assault stretching on for nearly 20 minutes.
The trio fled, laughing, as Bennett managed to drag himself to the front of the supermarket before collapsing. He survived for six days in hospital, only to succumb to an infection caused by his injuries. None of the attackers came forward — in fact, prosecutors said Connor and Brandon bragged about it to family. Evans eventually confessed, not to police, but to his mother.
What made the crime even more chilling was that, while the younger Dorans were in custody, their older brother Ryan was awaiting trial for a separate, equally savage killing. In March 2012, Ryan had launched an unprovoked assault on 42-year-old Wayne Mitchell in Anfield, fracturing his skull and causing fatal brain injuries. Hours later, Ryan casually stopped at a chip shop for tissues for his own cut, before assaulting customers inside.
When sentencing came, the judge allowed the identities of Connor and Brandon to be made public, citing the gravity of the crime. Connor was handed life with a minimum term of 12 years; Evans received eight years; Brandon, as the lookout, was given six. Ryan, meanwhile, was already serving life for Mitchell’s murder.
The Dorans’ notoriety extended beyond the brothers. Their mother, Linda, was sentenced to 31 months for providing a false alibi, and another brother, Jordan, was jailed for contempt after snapping photographs inside the courtroom. By then, only the youngest sibling — a sister — had avoided prison.
Simon Evans later had his sentence cut by a year for “exceptional” conduct behind bars, while Brandon’s appeal was rejected in 2016 on the grounds that he had shown no real progress.
Conclusion
What began as one brutal killing became part of a larger, more disturbing picture — a family tangled in crime, deception, and unchecked aggression. With three sons convicted of separate murders, a mother imprisoned for lying, and another sibling punished for contempt, the Doran name became etched into Liverpool’s criminal history.
The murder of Kevin Bennett remains not just a senseless act of violence, but a chapter in a grim legacy that shows how deep family loyalties can run — even when bound by blood spilled, not shared.