Paul Doyle 261125
Paul Doyle cried as he appeared in the dock for his sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court
The man who drove into crowds during Liverpool FC's victory parade "lost his temper" and used his vehicle as a "weapon", Liverpool Crown Court has been told.
Paul Doyle cried as he appeared in the dock for his two-day sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to 31 offences relating to seriously injuring people during the victory parade in May.
Prosecutors said in the space of two minutes, Doyle’s Ford Galaxy – which weighed nearly two tonnes – collided with “well over 100 people” and he was “prepared to cause those in the crowd, even children, serious harm if necessary to achieve his aim of getting through”.
The 54-year-old admitted dangerous driving, affray, 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, nine counts of causing GBH with intent, and three counts of wounding with intent in November.
More than 30 victims were in court for the hearing, with others in another room in the building.
Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC told Liverpool Crown Court that Paul Doyle was driving his grey Ford Galaxy Titanium from his home in Croxteth into central Liverpool to pick up friends who had attended the parade on 26 May.
Mr Greaney said the road was extremely busy with pedestrians on what should have been a day of joy.
He said: “The defendant drove the Galaxy on to Dale Street at 5.54pm and began to travel in the direction of Water Street, so on a course opposite from the direction of travel of most of the fans, and towards them.
“From an early stage, Paul Doyle drove dangerously along that road, frightening people as he did so. Then at 5.59pm, he encountered some traffic implementation measures that were filtering vehicles off to the right.
“He came to halt, but shortly afterwards set off down the left side of Dale Street towards Water Street, ignoring the measures.”
Paul Doyle’s actions “generated horror in those who had attended what they had thought would be a day of joyfulness”.
He said: “By 6.01pm, so less than two minutes later, the Galaxy was stationary on Water Street and attempts were being made by fans to drag Paul Doyle from it.
"He was quickly protected by police officers, and thereafter arrested and detained, having sustained only minor injuries.
“What had happened in that short period between 5.59pm and 6.01pm is that the defendant had driven his vehicle into a collision with well over 100 people, causing injuries including serious injuries to many and, when the vehicle was brought to a halt, people including children were trapped beneath it.
“The prosecution case is that the defendant had used the vehicle as a weapon over that period of time.
“In doing so, he not only caused injury on a large scale, but also generated horror in those who had attended what they had thought would be a day of joyfulness.”
Paul Greaney told the court Paul Doyle was not driven by ideology, adding: “This was, it should be categorically stated, not a terrorist attack.”
He said police had excluded any problem with the vehicle and at the time of the crash Doyle was “completely sober and free of all drugs”.
When interviewed, he said, Doyle claimed he acted in a “blind panic and in fear of his life” because of how some of the crowd behaved, but the position of the prosecution was that the account was “untrue”.
Mr Greaney said: “The truth is a simple one – Paul Doyle just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to. In a rage, he drove into the crowd. When he did so, he intended to cause people within the crowd serious harm.
“He was prepared to cause those in the crowd, even children, serious harm if necessary to achieve his aim of getting through.
“The truth is as simple as the consequences that day were awful.”
Doyle shook his head at times as Mr Greaney was speaking.
Doyle was arrested at the scene on Water Street just after 6pm and charged later that week.
The youngest victim was six-month-old Teddy Eveson, whose parents later told media he was thrown about 15 feet down the road in his pram when the crash happened.
Doyle, of Croxteth, Liverpool, admitted attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to the baby.
Five other children, who Doyle either injured or attempted to injure, cannot be named for legal reasons.