A MAN who drove his car into a crowd during Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade in May, injuring more than 130 people, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to 31 charges, including nine counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Paul Doyle changed his pleas at Liverpool Crown Court on the first day of what was set to be his trial. He had earlier pleaded not guilty in September. Doyle sobbed in the dock as the charges were read and said: “Guilty.” He will be sentenced next month.
He also admitted 17 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, three counts of wounding with intent, affray and dangerous driving.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, dashcam footage showed Doyle becoming increasingly agitated by the crowds before he drove at people, injuring 134, including eight children, one aged six months.
Police say it was ‘sheer luck’ no one died
About a million people had gathered in the city centre for Liverpool’s title parade, which featured an open-top bus carrying the team and staff with the Premier League trophy.
Liverpool last won the Premier League in the 2019/20 season but could not hold a public celebration in May 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Shortly after the team passed by, Doyle drove his Ford Galaxy into pedestrians before the vehicle stopped and fans surrounded it.
Sarah Hammond, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said the incident “struck at the heart of a city united in joy, leaving fear in its wake”.
“Driving a vehicle into a crowd is an act of calculated violence. This was not a momentary lapse by Paul Doyle — it was a choice he made that day and it turned celebration into mayhem,” she said.
Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald of Merseyside Police said “it is only by sheer luck that nobody was killed because of Doyle’s reckless actions”.
Judge Andrew Menary told Doyle it was “inevitable” that he faced a lengthy jail sentence next month.
(With inputs from agencies)
