“Almost impossible to comprehend how any right-thinking person could act as you did,” judge tells the convict
A man who drove his car into crowds in Liverpool celebrating the club’s Premier League title last May has been sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison.
Paul Doyle, 54, was jailed at Liverpool crown court for using his vehicle as a weapon during the club’s victory parade on 26 May, leaving 134 people injured, including young children. No one was killed, a fact police described as “sheer luck”.
Doyle had been driving into the city centre to collect friends when he forced his way into areas closed to traffic. Dashcam footage shown to the court captured him accelerating into dense crowds on the street, hitting supporters and sending some onto the bonnet of his Ford Galaxy while others were knocked to the ground or trapped underneath the vehicle.
He later pleaded guilty to 31 offences, including dangerous driving, affray, multiple counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and wounding with intent. The victims named in court ranged in age from a six-month-old baby to a 77-year-old woman.
Sentencing him, the judge said Doyle acted in an “inexplicable and undiluted fury” and rejected his claim that he had been acting out of fear after allegedly seeing a knife. Police found no evidence to support that account.
“It is almost impossible to comprehend how any right-thinking person could act as you did,” the judge said. “To drive a vehicle into crowds of pedestrians with such persistence and disregard for human life defies ordinary understanding.”
The court heard that Doyle undertook other vehicles, ran a red light and ignored the presence of families and children filling the road. In dashcam footage, he can be heard swearing at supporters and shouting at them to move as they scrambled to safety.
His car was eventually stopped when a bystander, Dan Barr, climbed into the rear of the vehicle and forced the automatic gear selector into park. Even then, Doyle continued trying to accelerate while people remained trapped beneath the car.
The judge said the offences were sustained acts intended to cause harm to people during a day of public celebration.
“This was not panic,” he said. “By your pleas of guilty, you admit that you intended to cause serious harm to achieve your objective, even to children.”
The Crown Prosecution Service said Doyle’s actions had devastated lives in a matter of minutes.
“He lost his temper,” said prosecutor James Allison. “He went into a rage, and the consequences were catastrophic for many innocent people.”
Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald said: “His total disregard for the safety of others, particularly young children, is beyond comprehension. It is a miracle no lives were lost.”
