The 54-year-old was 'completely sober' when he ploughed into more than 100 men, women and children on Water Street
The 54-year-old was 'completely sober' when he ploughed into more than 100 men, women and children on Water Street
The 54-year-old was 'completely sober' when he ploughed into more than 100 men, women and children on Water Street
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Paul Doyle was "completely sober" when he drove into crowds at Liverpool FC's title parade and claimed to have acted "in blind panic and in fear of his life", a court has heard. The 54-year-old, of Burghill Road in West Derby, admitted a total of 31 charges last month, having driven his car into crowds of fans during the celebrations earlier this year.
More than 100 pedestrians, ranging from babies to a 78-year-old woman, were injured after being struck by the Ford Galaxy on Water Street in Liverpool city centre shortly after 6pm on Monday, May 26, as what was meant to be a day of joy turned into scenes of devastation and terror. Fifty casualties required hospital treatment in the aftermath of the appalling incident, although they were later discharged.
Doyle changed his pleas to guilty on the day he was due to go on trial at Liverpool Crown Court, with his sentencing now due to take place over the course of two days on Monday and Tuesday. Appearing in the dock this morning wearing a black suit over a white shirt and grey tie, he appeared to become tearful at the beginning of the hearing and wiped his nose with a tissue.
Paul Greaney KC, prosecuting, then told the court: “On the 27th of April 2025, Liverpool FC beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-1 to reach a points total in the Premier League that was unassailable. In becoming champions, the club achieved its 20th title.
“The city of Liverpool wished to celebrate the club’s achievement, and a parade was therefore arranged for the 26th of May 2025, the spring bank holiday. This was to involve the players and staff travelling in an open top bus on a route that started at Allerton Maze in South Liverpool at 2.30pm and travelled through the suburbs of the city before ending outside the Liver Building on the Strand, next to the River Mersey, at an estimated time of 5.30 pm. Hundreds of thousands of people, probably about a million in total, attended to watch and cheer. To begin with, this was a day of great joy.
(Image: Merseyside Police)
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“Although estimated to arrive at the Liver Building at 5.30pm, the open top bus in fact arrived there 10 minutes later at 5.40pm. Following its arrival, many of those who had waited on the Strand to cheer began to walk up Water Street towards Dale Street in order to make their way home. The road therefore became extremely busy with pedestrians who were spread across both pavements and the road.
“As the parade was finishing, the defendant, Paul Doyle, was driving his grey Ford Galaxy Titanium from his home in Croxteth into central Liverpool in order to pick up friends who had attended the parade. His vehicle weighed nearly two tonnes.
“The defendant drove the Galaxy onto 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.
“By 6.01pm, 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 5.59 pm 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.
“It is important at the outset to explain what did not cause Paul Doyle, then a 53-year-old family man who lived a short distance from the city centre to behave in this way. At the time of these events, some at the scene thought that what was taking place was a terrorist attack, with the driver utilising a vehicle to attack in a way that has occurred before; for example, during the London Bridge attack on the 3rd of June 2017.
“That is not what occurred. Paul Doyle’s actions were, the prosecution is entirely satisfied, not driven by ideology. This was, it should be categorically stated, not a terrorist attack.
“So, was what happened the result of some defect in the vehicle? Did the brakes fail or the vehicle suddenly accelerate without any intervention by the driver? Paul Doyle has never suggested that happened, and expert investigation by the police has excluded any problem with the vehicle as having caused or contributed to what occurred. So, that is not the explanation.
“Was Paul Doyle drunk or high on drugs? Again, the prosecution is able to give a definitive answer to that question. He was not. At the time that he drove into and over 100 people, Paul Doyle was completely sober, and free of all drugs.
“So, why did the defendant behave in such an extraordinary and harmful way on Dale Street and Water Street? Paul Doyle claimed, when subsequently interviewed by the police, that he acted as he did in a blind panic and in fear of his life because of how some in the crowd had behaved towards him. The position of the prosecution is that this account given by the defendant to the investigators was untrue.
“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 were awful.
“We will play a piece of footage that illustrates the prosecution case. It is from an internal camera, the dashcam, within the defendant’s vehicle, which recorded both video and audio. The footage we are about to display shows the defendant’s driving from a point at just before he encountered traffic management measures, in the form of cones, on Dale Street. His driving had been dangerous even before this point, but what we are about to see represents the most serious aspect of his conduct. What we are about to display on the screens is truly shocking.”
The prosecution has played footage taken from Doyle's dashcam which showed him driving down Dale Street and Water Street and ploughing into crowds of terrified fans. There were tears in the public gallery from victims and their families.
The counts Doyle admitted included 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent. The complainants in these matters were named as six-month-old Teddy Eveson, other boys and girls aged seven months, 10, 11, 13, as well as adults Jack Trotter, Jon Evans, Scott Dolan, Ashton Gilmore, Jacqueline McClaren, Jamie Fagan, Carl Martin, James Vernon, Emily Wright, David Price, James Weston and Ethan Gillard.
A further nine charges which he pleaded guilty to stated that he caused grievous bodily harm with intent to Helen Gilmore, Anna Bilonozhenko, Sheree Aldridge, Sam Alexander, Hannah O’Neill, Stefan Dettlaf, Christine Seeckts, Susan Passey and Aaron Cothliff. He finally faces sentence for three offences of wounding with intent against a 12-year-old boy, Simon Nash and Robin Darke, as well as matters of affray and dangerous driving.
It is anticipated that Doyle, who is represented by Simon Csoka KC and Damian Nolan, will not be sentenced by the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC until tomorrow. The hearing continues, with the ECHO providing live updates from courtroom 41.
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