Liverpool parade attacker Paul Doyle jailed for 21 years six months for ploughing his car into fans during anger-fuelled rampage

The 54-year-old drove his Ford Galaxy into a crowd of fans at Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade on May 26, injuring more than 130 people aged between six months and 77 years.

The father of three pleaded guilty last month to 31 charges, including dangerous driving and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

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Liverpool Crown Court heard how Doyle was travelling into the city centre to collect friends when he "lost his temper" and drove into supporters making their way home from the celebrations.

His vehicle's dashcam footage, played in court, showed fans being thrown over the bonnet of his car and falling underneath as he accelerated down Water Street, which had been closed to traffic, at 6pm.

Whilst ploughing through the crowds, the former Royal Marine could be heard in the video swearing and shouting at supporters to “move”.

Doyle, who has previous convictions for violence in the 1990s, including biting a sailor’s ear off, initially denied the 31 offences he was charged with.

However, he changed his pleas moments before the prosecution was due to open his trial last month.

He wept in the dock as he pleaded guilty 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 victims included six-month-old Teddy Eveson, whose pram was thrown in the air in the crash, and 77-year-old Susan Passey, who were two of the 29 named in the indictment.

Sentencing judge Andrew Menary KC told the defendant he acted in an “inexplicable and undiluted fury” when he ploughed into crowds.

He told Doyle: “It is almost impossible to comprehend how any right-thinking person could act as you did.

"To drive a vehicle into crowds of pedestrians with such persistence and disregard for human life defies ordinary understanding."

The judge added: "Your actions caused horror and devastation on a scale not previously encountered by this court."

The court heard Doyle undertook other vehicles and ran a red light as he travelled to the city centre from his home in Croxteth, Liverpool, to collect friends who had been at the parade.

As he drove Dale Street, Doyle failed to slow down despite huge numbers of Liverpool fans filling the roads.

He called people "f****** pricks" as they pulled their children out of the way to prevent him from hitting them.

When he reached the end of the road, he turned left onto Water Street, which was closed to traffic, and swerved into crowds filling the left lane.

His car was only brought to a stop when hero fan Dan Barr climbed into the back seat of the automatic vehicle and held the gearstick in park mode.

Doyle continued to try and accelerate but the car, which had people trapped underneath it by this point, was unable to move further.

After being arrested, Doyle told officers in interviews that he had seen someone with a knife and drove in panic for fear he would be attacked.

But police found no evidence from CCTV or witnesses that anyone in the area had a knife.

No defects were found with the car and Doyle was not under the influence of drink or drugs.

James Allison, from the Crown Prosecution Service Mersey-Cheshire, said: "Why did he do it? I think the simple answer is he lost his temper. He went into a rage.

"He just wanted to get down that road, and in trying to get down that road those next couple of minutes probably devastated a lot of people’s lives."

Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald said: "Doyle’s total disregard for the safety of others—particularly the many young children present on Dale Street and Water Street that day—is beyond comprehension.

"It is sheer luck that no lives were lost."