A 53-year-old man has been charged with seven offences relating to an incident that saw a car plough into a crowd at Liverpool FC’s victory parade, injuring dozens.
Paul Doyle, from West Derby in Liverpool, will appear at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on Friday, 30 May.
Doyle has been charged with offences including dangerous driving, causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, wounding with intent to cause GBH and attempting to cause GBH with intent, chief Crown prosecutor for the CPS Mersey-Cheshire Sarah Hammond told a press conference on Thursday.
She added that the investigation is at an early stage and a “huge volume” of evidence is being reviewed.
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Seven people remained in hospital in a stable condition after the collision, Merseyside Police announced on Wednesday. It is believed at least 79 people were injured in total, with police revealing on Thursday that the youngest person hurt was nine years old, while the oldest was 78.
The route of the parade and the collision in Liverpool. (PA)
The route of the parade and the collision in Liverpool. (PA)
Police typically do not release the identity of a suspect after they have been arrested.
In recent years, courts have held that individuals who have been arrested usually have a right to privacy before they are charged with an offence.
The College of Policing advise against naming suspects until they are formally charged, except in specific cases – such as when public safety is at risk or to aid an investigation.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 27: Crime Scene Investigators at the scene of the Liverpool FC parade incident on Water Street on May 27, 2025 in Liverpool, England. Investigation and cleanup continued this morning after a car ploughed into a crowd gathered yesterday for the Liverpool F.C. victory parade, injuring nearly 50 people, including four children. Authorities said the suspect was arrested and they are not treating it as an act of terrorism. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Forensic teams search for clues on Water Street in Liverpool. (Getty)
Additionally, data protection laws, including GDPR, restrict sharing personal information unless justified.
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Naming someone too early could also prejudice ongoing investigations or future court proceedings by influencing witnesses or public opinion.
In high-profile cases, police may delay identification to manage media attention and ensure a fair process.
However, once someone is charged, their identity is often made public, as court proceedings are generally open to the public.
Why police gave more information than usual
There was noticeably more information issued by the police immediately after the incident than would normally be expected.
This came following criticism levelled at Merseyside Police for their lack of information in the aftermath of the Southport knife attacks last year.
One of Merseyside Police's former inspectors, Peter Williams, a senior lecturer in policing at Liverpool John Moores University, said the force had adopted a "complete step change" in how it shares information.
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He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday: “It has been a shift, because, particularly in relation to the aftermath of Southport... there was a lot of criticism focused at Merseyside Police and of course the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service], in relation to how the management of information was sort of dealt with.”
Williams said that the force may have been mindful of how information was handled by Lancashire Constabulary in the disappearance of Nicola Bulley in January 2023, which led to a College of Policing inquiry.
Professor Tim Atkins, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, and Dr Renu Bindra give an update into the investigation into the murders of six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, and the attempted murders of eight children and two adults in Southport on July 29, at Merseyside Police Headquarters, Liverpool. Axel Rudakubana, 18, who is accused of the knife-attack murder of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, has been charged with a terror offence and producing the deadly poison ricin which was found
Merseyside Police were criticised for their lack of information following the Southport knife attacks last year. (PA)
Former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent Dal Babu told BBC Radio 5 Live that the decision to release so much information about the suspect was “unprecedented”.
He said: “It’s remarkably striking because police will not release that kind of information because they’ll be worried about prejudicing any future trial, but I think they have to balance that against the potential of public disorder.”
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Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley also said forces will more often have to release personal details about suspects earlier.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “In general, I think we have to be realistic and more often… put more personal details in public, earlier.”
He added that we are in an age of citizen journalism and “some content will be all over social media very, very quickly” and people will be “making guesses and inferences” so “in that world, putting more facts out is the only way to deal with it”.