Paul Doyle: Man who drove through Liverpool's Premier League victory parade begins court sentencing

Paul Doyle, 54, from Croxteth, Liverpool, ploughed his car through Water Street as football fans celebrated their team winning the league.

There were more than a million Liverpool fans on the streets on May 6, with a crowd leaving the waterfront at 6pm as the parade came to an end. It was at this point that Doyle accelerated his Ford Galaxy through a group of pedestrians.

The former Royal Marine and dad-of-three injured more than 130 people, including eight children. The youngest victim, Teddy Eveson, was an infant thrown from his pram because of the attack.

Doyle initially denied the 31 charges against him, including 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH), nine counts of causing GBH with intent and three counts of wounding with intent.

But right before his trial was due to begin at Liverpool Crown Court, he changed his plea to a guilty one, sobbing in the dock as Judge Andrew Menary KC remanded him in custody and told him a long prison sentence was “inevitable”.

With sentencing proceedings underway at the same court today (Monday, December 15), Doyle stood in the dock once again as the prosecution laid out its case, and victim impact statements were read out.

Chief crown prosecutor Sarah Hammond said: “Paul Doyle has been held responsible for his deliberate actions that endangered lives and brought chaos upon a community.

“A total of 134 people were injured, including children as young as six months. This attack did not just harm individuals - it struck at the heart of a city united in joy, leaving fear in its wake.

“By entering guilty pleas, Doyle has finally accepted that he intentionally drove into crowds of innocent people during Liverpool FC's victory parade.”

Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC added: “From an early stage, he drove dangerously, frightening people as he did so.

“What had happened in that short period, between 5.59pm and 6.01pm, is the defendant had driven his vehicle into a crowd of people, causing injuries, including serious injuries to many.

“[Doyle] used his vehicle as a weapon during that time. He not only caused injury on a large scale, but also caused horror for those who attended what they thought was a joyful celebration.”

The sentencing is due to run for two days, meaning Doyle won’t learn his fate until tomorrow (Tuesday, December 16).