November 27 – Paul Doyle has pleaded guilty to all 31 charges after driving his car into a packed crowd during Liverpool’s victory parade in May, injuring more than 130 people.
The 54-year-old admitted the plethora of offences including dangerous driving, affray, 17 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, nine counts of causing GBH with intent and three counts of wounding with intent.
The Crown Prosecution Service called it “an act of calculated violence.” Doyle, a father of three from Croxteth, sobbed in the dock as he changed his pleas on the second day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
The Liverpool team bus had already passed along The Strand and crowds were beginning to head home when Doyle drove his Ford Galaxy into fans on Water Street just after 18:00. He was arrested at the scene and charged days later.
The charges cover 29 victims, aged from six months to 77 years old. Doyle, a former Royal Marine, had appeared emotional in earlier hearings held over videolink. Family members were present in court as he entered his guilty pleas.
The Recorder of Liverpool, Andrew Menary KC, told him it was “inevitable” he would receive a custodial sentence “of some length.” A two-day sentencing hearing is scheduled for 15 and 16 December.
Sarah Hammond, chief crown prosecutor, said Doyle had finally admitted what prosecutors argued from the start. “Dashcam footage from Doyle’s vehicle shows that as he approached Dale Street and Water Street, he became increasingly agitated by the crowds,” she said.
“Rather than wait for them to pass, he deliberately drove at them, forcing his way through.” She added that driving into a crowd was “an act of calculated violence” and “not a momentary lapse.”
Merseyside Police said Doyle had followed an ambulance through a temporary road block. Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald said it was only “by sheer luck that nobody was killed,” adding the incident “turned a day of celebration into a distressing and frightening experience.”