Paul Doyle, accused of ploughing into crowds at Liverpool trophy parade, cries as court hears shouted for people to 'get out the f****** way'

More than 130 people reported injuries after Paul Doyle drove his Ford Galaxy Titanium into crowds on Water Street just after 6pm on May 26.

He was arrested at the scene and charged later that week.

Doyle appeared in court on Monday after admitting to dangerous driving, affray, 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.

The 54-year-old cried as footage from his dashcam showing the crash was shown to the court.

Read more: Liverpool parade crash suspect sobs in court as jury sworn in

He put his head down and shut his eyes as the footage showed his car hitting crowds of supporters in the city centre for the victory parade.

Victims in court were also in tears as the video was played.

The footage, showing the view from the windscreen of his Ford Galaxy, captured Doyle saying “f****** pricks” as pedestrians pulled their children out of the way of his car to stop them being hit as he drove down Dale Street.

It showed him approaching a line of cars waiting to turn right off the road before it becomes Water Street.

Doyle then swerved away from the traffic and into the left lane, which was closed as hundreds of fans were making their way back from the celebrations.

He could be heard shouting and screaming “move”, “f****** pricks” and “get out the f****** way” as shocked members of the public tried to jump out of the way of his car.

The footage, which will not be released because of its graphic nature, showed the windscreen smash after a man landed on it. Others could be seen on the bonnet of the car as Doyle continued to drive and people, including children, appeared to go under the vehicle.

Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC said Doyle “did what he did intentionally” but was “not driven by ideology.”

He said Doyle was 53 at the time and an experienced driver of 25 years.

He had been the registered keeper of his Ford Galaxy Titanium since March 2023 and “was entirely familiar with its controls”, Mr Greaney said.

He told Liverpool Crown Court there were no defects with the vehicle and nothing to prevent Doyle stopping if he had wanted to.

Mr Greaney said: “Where this leaves us is that nothing which occurred can be explained to any extent on the basis of immaturity of age, inexperience in driving generally, unfamiliarity with the vehicle or any defect with the Galaxy.

“Furthermore, the footage demonstrates that the defendant was conscious throughout, so a medical explanation can be discounted.

“The upshot of all of this is, as the defendant has now accepted, that he did what he did intentionally.”

Mr Greaney continued: “This was, it should be categorically stated, not a terrorist attack.”

He said police had excluded any problem with the vehicle and at the time of the crash Doyle was “completely sober and free of all drugs”.

When interviewed, he said, Doyle claimed he acted in a “blind panic and in fear of his life” because of how some of the crowd behaved, but the position of the prosecution was that the account was “untrue”.

Mr Greaney said: “The truth is a simple one – Paul Doyle just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to. In a rage, he drove into the crowd. When he did so, he intended to cause people within the crowd serious harm.

“He was prepared to cause those in the crowd, even children, serious harm if necessary to achieve his aim of getting through.

“The truth is as simple as the consequences that day were awful.”

Doyle left his home to collect his friend, Dave Clark, from the city centre at 5.29pm and drove “aggressively”, the prosecutor added.

He told Liverpool Crown Court: “How he drove the Galaxy at that stage was dangerous.”

“He routinely engaged in the undertaking of other vehicles and ran a red light.”

The court was shown dashcam footage of the journey, including Doyle’s dangerous movements.

Doyle exchanged messages with his friend during the journey and at one point Mr Clark told him he might find the area they were in, Castle Street, blocked, the court heard.

Footage showed Doyle undertaking a series of vehicles and coming close to pedestrians as he approached a roundabout before he turned onto Dale Street.

Eventually, pedestrians began banging on the car window, Mr Greaney said.

“The prosecution regards that as unsurprising given what the defendant was doing, namely driving a 1.9-tonne vehicle into a crowd, rather than waiting in line with the other traffic.”

Doyle started to sound his vehicle’s horn repeatedly, “causing further concern” within the crowds of people in the street.

Mr Greaney said: “Members of the crowd become extremely concerned by his behaviour. Adults jumped out of his way. Parents dragged their children from his path. The defendant shouted, ‘f****** pricks’ a number of times. He had completely lost his temper.”

The defendant reached the traffic implementations directing vehicles down Exchange Street East.

Mr Greaney said: “The defendant’s driving was highly dangerous. Furthermore, in what he did, he was using or threatening unlawful violence towards the crowd and his conduct was such as would cause any normal person to fear for their personal safety. We can see that in their faces.”

He added: “The defendant then used his vehicle as a weapon as he veered to the left of the traffic implementations and drove down Dale Street and onto Water Street, driving into and over more than 100 people as he did so, causing many people injuries.”

In one shocking clip, Doyle ploughs into a 10-year-old girl, screaming "f****** hell move!"

Mr Greaney said the girl was “extremely fortunate to suffer only relatively minor physical injuries”.

He added: “The defendant continued to shout at people to ‘get out the f****** way’ while repeatedly pressing his horn.

“Some people were able to move or jump out of the way, but others were struck.”

These included a 60-year-old woman who was next to an ambulance, the court heard.

Mr Greaney said: “The defendant carried on regardless down Water Street. Many police officers were in the area.

“If he had truly needed help, as opposed to simply being out of control … all Paul Doyle needed to do was stop.

"But, instead of stopping, the defendant drove on, striking more and more people, causing more and more injury.”

The prosecution rubbished claims from Doyle he stopped his car the moment he realised he had hit someone.

“The defendant could not have failed to see that he had struck very many people on his journey down Dale Street and Water Street, stopping to reverse and then drive forward a number of times," Mr Greaney said.

"In any event, what brought the Galaxy to a halt was a combination of the number of people trapped beneath the vehicle and the actions of Daniel Barr, not the decision of Paul Doyle – on the contrary, as we have explained, even with people beneath his vehicle, Paul Doyle tried to drive on.

“By the time his vehicle was brought to a halt, the defendant had driven it into a collision with over one hundred people."