As the Liverpool FC title parade wound its way through the city, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate were seen teetering at the back of the team bus as fireworks painted the sky red.
It had been decades since the players and fans last celebrated together as England's champions, with Arne Slot stepping into the path that Jurgen Klopp had trodden behind closed doors in 2020. But the celebrations in the streets of Liverpool quickly turned to horror, as a car crashed through the road filled with fans.
Paul Doyle changed his plea at the last minute on Wednesday, admitting to all counts he was charged with. The club was quick to respond in a statement, with Doyle now facing significant jail time. Prosecutors believe Doyle became agitated behind the wheel prior to the crash.
Back in May, more than a million supporters, both local and from afar, thronged the streets to commemorate the event. Social media was flooded with pictures of crowded train station platforms across the north, filled with people eager to join the celebration, while the city's roads nearly came to a standstill for a moment that had been years in the making.
Later, as the afternoon gave way to evening, the sea of fans in red shirts and scarves, still exuberant, still singing, still waving their flags, moved away from the Strand and meandered along various routes back towards the city centre, heading home or to any number of pubs and bars. Their jubilant songs lingered in the air, shrouded in clouds of crimson smoke.
No one in those crowds could have foreseen what was about to happen next. But within moments, the joyous scenes were replaced by fear and devastation. As the clock edged towards 6pm and the players' bus neared the end of Liverpool's iconic waterfront, Doyle emerged onto Dale Street in a dark Ford Galaxy. Ahead of him, the historic road, leading towards the docks and the Three Graces, was a chaotic mix of people and vehicles, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Police officers were quick to react to the incident
Police officers were quick to react to the incident
The chorus of songs and chants was momentarily interrupted by the urgent siren of an ambulance, its blue lights flashing as it navigated through the crowd towards a patient who had reportedly suffered a heart attack. Among the crowd were Stefanie Ryder-Walker, her fiancé Ellis Matthews, his father and their friends, with the sea of fans parting to allow the paramedics through.
However, closely following the ambulance was Doyle, taking advantage of its path and seizing the opportunity to bypass the roadblock at the top of Water Street just moments after, as the ECHO would later exclusively report, his car had nearly collided with a fan crossing the road. As he approached the Town Hall, he was quickly surrounded by fans who took exception to his clearly reckless behavior as he drove bumper-first into the pedestrianized area.
However, instead of retreating and acknowledging his mistake, Doyle abruptly reversed, knocking into a man with significant force. The ensuing chaos was a stark contrast to the unbridled joy these same supporters had experienced just moments earlier as the car continued its path straight into the crowd.
Parade horror
Despite their best efforts, those unfortunate enough to be nearby could only watch helplessly as six-month-old Teddy Eveson was flung into the air in his pram, landing 15ft away while his parents were thrown in different directions. Stefanie, seeing the car speeding towards her, managed to dive out of the way.
A woman standing next to her wasn't as fortunate, being hurled onto the bonnet, then into the windscreen and over the top of the vehicle, landing on the other side. The 26-year-old dental student rushed to assist this victim, one of many, using her medical training to stem the bleeding as her partner joined a frantic group of fans chasing after Doyle as he continued his destructive path, barrelling towards more pedestrians.
When Doyle's car finally came to a stop, there was a brief moment of stillness. But quickly, the crowd swarmed him, attempting to pry the doors open. In a swift turn of events, police officers managed to apprehend him and swiftly ushered him into a nearby patrol van. Within moments, mobile phone footage had been broadcast worldwide, transforming the jubilant atmosphere in Liverpool city center into one of chaos and confusion as emergency services swarmed the Castle Street area.
Entering this scene were lifelong Reds supporters Karen Ndirae and Dumisani Moyo, who had journeyed from Leicester and London respectively to join friends and family for the parade. As they turned onto Water Street, where their overnight accommodation was situated, they were met with a scene of disarray and fear.
With phone signal jammed and sirens echoing throughout, many frantically attempted to reach out to loved ones known to be in town, fervently hoping they hadn't been caught up in the turmoil. Local pubs swung open their doors, offering refuge to stunned witnesses, with approximately 80 people seeking shelter in the Pig and Whistle on nearby Covent Garden.
The landlord was advised by police to secure his premises to safeguard those inside. Meanwhile, on Water Street, Italian eatery Riva Blu was rapidly transformed into an impromptu emergency clinic, with paramedics attending to a multitude of injured individuals.
The full weight of these devastating incidents quickly became apparent to those who witnessed them directly. "It was like something out of a film, people were flying into the air," one woman told the ECHO, gripping her friend's arm tightly. A young man wearing a Montirex tracksuit top spoke with a trembling voice: "Everyone froze. And then, I just remember hearing screaming."
Police Scientific Support on Water Street
It was a horrifying scene after the parade as police investigated what had happened (Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Changing plea
Just four days following the incident on Water Street, Doyle found himself a short distance away at Derby Square, dressed in a suit and entering the dock at Liverpool Magistrates' Court. His appearance was dishevelled, his complexion pale, head lowered—like a startled animal caught in the glare of courtroom 36, which was packed to capacity.
Confirming only his name, address and date of birth, he was placed on remand ahead of his trial scheduled for winter. In the months that followed, he made brief court appearances, participating remotely via video link from an unnamed prison facility, where he marked his 54th birthday behind bars earlier this month, attending on four separate occasions whilst standard legal procedures continued.
During a court appearance in August, Doyle was seen wiping away tears as an additional 24 charges were brought against him, including the attempted serious assault of baby Teddy. In the subsequent month, he once again broke down and held his head in his hands after pleading not guilty to all 31 counts that he faced.
Why did he do it?
It's understood by the ECHO that on the day of the incident, Doyle had travelled into the city to pick up a friend from the Preston area who was attending the parade. The specifics of his charges accused him of dangerous driving between his home on Burghill Road in West Derby and Water Street, with his own dashcam allegedly recording his reckless behavior for nearly the entirety of his journey.
Although initially arrested on suspicion of offences including attempted murder and drug driving, he reportedly insisted during questioning that he hadn't taken any controlled substances, and he was never ultimately charged with any such offense.
As recently as this morning, sources close to the case were asserting that the trial would proceed as scheduled over three to four weeks leading up to Christmas. Late last week, the ECHO picked up speculative murmurs that the situation could be changing, but it's believed that the prosecution team only received its first solid indications that Doyle might change his plea on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, the second day of the trial and exactly six months after the title parade, as the crown was on the brink of opening its case, defence counsel Simon Csoka KC requested his client to be rearraigned. It was at this moment that he confessed for the first time to causing the chaos that tainted that day in May.
Doyle is set to face a significant prison sentence for what can only be described as an act of gross irresponsibility, stemming from complete disregard for the city's residents. Yet, the consequences could have been far more severe.