Paul Doyle, 54, was jailed for 21 years and six months after he ploughed his two-tonne Ford Galaxy into crowds of Liverpool FC fans during the club's title-winning parade celebrations in May
21:37, 20 Dec 2025Updated 21:37, 20 Dec 2025
Paul Doyle
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A man who knew Doyle from a church football team claimed he would "explosively react if he was not happy"(Image: Merseyside Police)
A former teammate of parade crash offender Paul Doyle has reportedly revealed how he "knocked a man out cold" for making a joke about his McDonald's job.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, told the ECHO he played alongside Doyle in Liverpool Christian Life Centre's football squad during the mid-1990s and witnessed his Jekyll and Hyde personality - sometimes a "lovely man", other times a "monster".
Our source explained that the football team wasn't restricted to church members, with Doyle getting involved through his flatmates who were regular worshippers. The man described Doyle as a "brilliant goalkeeper" but said everyone connected to the team was "actively aware of his struggles".
Paul Doyle appears at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing on 31 offences
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Paul Doyle appears at Liverpool Crown Court for sentencing on 31 offences(Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)
As per the Liverpool Echo, he revealed: "[Doyle] would explosively react if he was not happy. There were times when the game had to be called off and we had to apologise to the other team."
The man continued: "On one occasion, I wasn't there, but I heard a guy who was part of the church made a joke. I don't know if Paul was still studying at the time, but he was working as a manager at McDonald's.
"The guy wasn't having a go at him, he was just messing around, but I heard that Paul knocked him out cold. I was shocked. I felt responsibility and spoke to the guy and had to really apologise."
CCTV footage of the moment Paul Doyle ploughed into crowds on Water Street
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CCTV footage of the moment Paul Doyle ploughed into crowds on Water Street(Image: Merseyside Police)
Doyle was jailed for 21 years and six months at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday (December 16) after he rammed his two-tonne Ford Galaxy into crowds of LFC supporters during May's title-winning parade celebrations. The court was told Doyle wielded his vehicle as a "weapon" when "in a rage" due to the number of people blocking the road.
The ECHO had previously exposed how Doyle embellished his military service in the Royal Marines. During his two-day sentencing hearing it emerged Doyle was booted out of the elite commando unit just 22 months after joining following a string of violent clashes, including with his commanding officer.
He racked up both civilian and military convictions for crimes including common assault and dishonesty. Whilst based at the commando training centre in Lympstone he battered another person repeatedly in the face during a "nightclub scuffle".
Paul Doyle
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The court heard Doyle used his car as a "weapon" when "in a rage" because of the number of people in the road(Image: Facebook/Liverpool Echo)
But the shocking conviction was Doyle's offence of causing grievous bodily harm following a brutally violent incident. The court was told: "The offences occurred on the 2nd of July 1993 and involved the defendant biting off the ear of another man in a fight.
"When interviewed by the police in connection with the current offences, the defendant explained that he had become involved in a drunken fight with sailors." Doyle, who was serving in the Royal Marines Reserve at the time of the crime, was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment.
Liverpool Crown Court was told that Doyle's previous offences all occurred between the ages of 18 and 22. After his release from prison in 1994, Doyle was said to have transformed himself, signing up at the University of Liverpool to study psychology and maths before launching a thriving cyber security career in 1999.
An individual in a black uniform, possibly a security officer, is engaged in a conversation with another person wearing a white shirt and a tie, positioned behind a counter in an indoor setting. Various electronic devices and monitors are visible in the background.
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Doyle being taken to the custody suite following his arrest(Image: PA)
The court was also reportedly told Doyle wasn't driven by extremist ideology, nor was he intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, and his vehicle was in proper working order. Instead, Paul Greaney KC, for the prosecution, stated Doyle had simply "lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to".
He continued: "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."
Doyle's own dashcam footage served as the most incriminating evidence against him. The video, too distressing to be shown publicly, captured Doyle yelling "f***ing move" as he ploughed into the crowd on Water Street.
His car sent people flying upon impact, while others were dragged under the front bumper. The vehicle only came to a halt when brave ex-soldier Daniel Barr heroically leapt into the back seat of the Ford Galaxy and shifted the automatic car into "park".
Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald, a senior investigating officer from Merseyside Police, reportedly stated: "On what should have been a day of celebration for the city, Doyle chose to act in an aggressive and dangerous manner with no regard for the safety and wellbeing of other people. No prison sentence will be able to undo his actions on that day or heal those who continue to suffer physically and psychologically as a result of what they endured and witnessed on the streets of the city."
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