12-year-old Nikitas and his mum were both hit by Doyle's car at the LFC parade
12-year-old Nikitas was injured when Paul Doyle drove his car into crowds at the LFC parade in May
12-year-old Nikitas was injured when Paul Doyle drove his car into crowds at the LFC parade in May
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The mother of a young boy who was hurt when Paul Doyle drove his car into crowds at the Liverpool FC victory parade in May has said she was "shocked and relieved" when the 54-year-old changed his plea to guilty ahead of a planned trial on Wednesday.
Doyle, of Burghill Road in West Derby, was set to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court before he suddenly pleaded guilty to all 31 charges, admitting ploughing his Ford Galaxy into crowds of pedestrians in Water Street shortly after 6pm on Monday May 26 during the Reds' Premier League victory parade.
The Crown Prosecution Service said it was an "act of calculated violence" when the father-of-three and former Royal Marine drove into the crowd, injuring more than 130 people who had been out celebrating their team's success.
One of those injured in the harrowing scenes was 12-year-old Liverpool fan Nikitas, who had travelled to watch the parade with his mum Maria on the day.
Maria previously told the ECHO that what had been a day of celebration turned to devastation as she heard the sound of a car beeping and people screaming before it careered into her and her son.
Nikitas suffered serious injuries after he was hit by Paul Doyle's car
Nikitas suffered serious injuries after he was hit by Paul Doyle's car
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She said: "I had limited visibility until the car literally came in front of us and hit us. I went flying to one side of the car and my son went flying to the other. I managed to get up off the floor, I was panicking looking around and then I saw my son lying still on the other side of the road. That's when I started freaking out, I lost it at that point.
"I saw people rush over to him, they lifted his head up and he started screaming 'mum, mum', so obviously I was thinking the worst, I didn't know what injuries he had at the time. I didn't think about being hit myself, I was just running on adrenaline."
Nikitas was carried by a paramedic to the Riva Blu restaurant at the top of Water Street where other casualties were being assessed. His ankle had ballooned and his arm was causing him a lot of pain. He was then taken by ambulance to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, where X-rays revealed he had suffered fractures to his ankle and wrist and was initially requiring a wheelchair to get around.
Today, Nikitas - who was not named individually in the charges faced by Doyle and is not covered by reporting restrictions affecting some of the other children hurt in the incident - has largely recovered from his physical injuries, but is understandably still struggling mentally.
Speaking to the ECHO after Doyle's guilty plea, Maria said: "Since that day, Nikie is doing ok physically but mentally is a whole different story. We are still in the process of seeing counsellors and he has seen a couple of clinical psychologists at Alder Hey and we are in the process of starting treatment.
"If you had seen my son before the incident, he was the most outgoing, cheerful boy who wouldn't stay indoors for a minute, always playing with his friends.
"But he has become really anxious and he has lost his confidence, which is horrible to see for a young lad. It is his birthday on Saturday and we still don't know what we are going to do because we don't want to be around lots of people. But we want to do something special for him."
Liverpool-obsessed Nikitas has lost his confidence since he was hurt by Paul Doyle's car
Liverpool-obsessed Nikitas has lost his confidence since he was hurt by Paul Doyle's car
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Reacting to the sudden and unexpected turn of events in court on Wednesday, Maria said: "I was initially shocked but relieved at the same time. It has brought some relief that the driver has pleaded guilty.
"It means that the victims, including me and Nikie, will not have to relive the horror of that day in court. It has meant a lot in those terms.
"It has been a few months since the incident, so we started to find a bit of a calm, but then obviously the anxiety came back leading up to today, expecting a trial. We have been on tenterhooks."
But she said she is still very keen to hear more about Doyle's thought processes and is hoping to get some more answers when he is sentenced on December 15 and 16.
Maria added: "I would like to know why he did what he did, that is the next thing we need to see and what will bring more closure, to know what on earth caused this.
"Although it is nice to take a breather today and have the relief that we don't need to go to court, on the other hand there are still so many unanswered questions."
She added: "Our thoughts are with everyone affected today and we will always remember the people who helped us on that day. This was never going to break the city of Liverpool, I think it has only brought the community closer together."