Liverpool’s joyous celebrations during the parade for winning the club’s 20th top flight title were marred when a man drove his car into the crowds. Over 130 people were treated for injuries caused by the driver, with quite a few of the injuries sustained being classified as severe. Thankfully there were no fatalities, in no small part due to quick thinking from bystanders and the rapid reaction of emergency responders.
The driver, formally identified as Paul Doyle or Croxteth, Liverpool, initially plead not guilty to 31 charges, including 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, nine counts of causing GBH with intent and three counts of wounding with intent. On Wednesday of this past week, Doyle changed his plea to guilty to all charges just prior to the trial according to the BBC and other sources.
With the guilty plea, the victims and their families will be spared a potentially long and traumatizing jury trial. Liverpool FC provided a statement after the guilty plea was entered.
Our victory parade last May allowed an unprecedented number of Liverpool fans to celebrate together our Premier League title win – something we were unable to do in 2020.
The day of incredible joy ended in unimaginable circumstances and we hope today’s conviction brings some peace to all those affected by the horrific incident. Our thoughts are with them all.
We would like to thank our emergency services and partner agencies – Merseyside Police, North West and St John Ambulance Services, Merseyside Fire & Rescue – and members of the public, who responded with such bravery and compassion on the day. Their actions undoubtedly saved lives and exemplified the spirit of our city.
The case against Doyle was a strong one as Sarah Hammond of the Crown Prosecution Service stated that there was dashcam video from Doyle’s vehicle showing the events. Hammond said that Doyle was impatient and agitated while waiting for the crowds to pass leading up to the incident.
“Dashcam footage from Doyle’s vehicle shows that as he approached Dale Street and Water Street, he became increasingly agitated by the crowds. Rather than wait for them to pass, he deliberately drove at them, forcing his way through. This was not a momentary lapse by Paul Doyle — it was a choice he made that day and it turned celebration into mayhem.”
Sentencing for Doyle was initially expected to be in the middle of December. It seems likely that an agreement on a sentence was met as part of the guilty plea, but those details have not yet been released.