A man who plowed his car into a crowd at Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade, injuring 134 people, has been sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison.
Paul Doyle, 54, was heading into the city center from his home in Croxteth, Liverpool, to gather friends for the May 26 parade when he became “angry” and drove his Ford Galaxy directly into supporters returning home from the celebrations.
Dashcam footage from the vehicle played in court showed Fan being thrown onto the hood of the car or crushed under it as it accelerated down the closed Water Street around 6pm.
Mr Doyle initially denied 31 violations.
But last month, just before prosecutors were to begin the trial, he changed his plea to admit all charges.
The former Royal Marine cried as he pleaded guilty to 17 charges of dangerous driving, attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, nine charges of causing GBH with intent and three charges of causing bodily harm with intent.
The 29 victims named in the indictment ranged in age from six months old to 77 years old.
Sentencing, Judge Andrew Menary KC said Mr Doyle acted in an “inexplicable, undiluted rage” as he lunged into the crowd.
He told Doyle, “It is almost impossible to understand how any right-thinking person could act as you do.
“Plunging a vehicle into a crowd of pedestrians with such persistent disregard for human life defies normal understanding.”
The judge added: “Your actions have caused fear and devastation on a scale never before experienced by this court.”
While driving into the city, Doyle passed other vehicles and ran a red light.
Footage showed the father-of-three driving down Dale Street, seemingly not slowing down despite Liverpool fans filling the road.
Dashcam footage showed him saying “fuck that prick” as people separated the children to prevent him from hitting them.
When he reached a line of cars turning right off Water Street, he paused and swerved into the crowd filling the left lane.
Doyle’s car stopped when Dan Barr, a fan, got into the back seat of the automatic car and put the gearstick in park mode.
Mr Doyle, who was convicted of violent crimes in the 1990s, continued to accelerate, but a person was trapped under the car and he was unable to proceed any further.
In interviews, he said he saw someone with a knife and drove off in a panic, fearing he would be attacked, but police found no evidence from surveillance cameras or witnesses that anyone in the area had a knife.
No defects were found in the car and Mr Doyle was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
James Allison, from Mersey-Cheshire Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Why did he do that? I think the simple answer is he lost his temper. He was furious.”
“He just wanted to go down that path, and those few minutes of trying to go down that path probably devastated a lot of people’s lives.”
Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald said: “Doyle’s complete disregard for the safety of others, particularly the many young children who were in Dale Street and Water Street that day, is beyond comprehension.”
“It’s sheer luck that no lives were lost.”
