Paul Doyle pleaded guilty to multiple charges after injuring scores of supporters. Photo / Getty Images
Everyone who knew Paul Doyle was staggered by what they had just seen unfold on television and social media during Liverpool FC’s victory parade.
From the moment the former Royal Marine was identified as the driver of the car seen deliberately zigzagging into the crowds, there was sheer disbelief.
To friends and neighbours of the Doyles, who are from the Croxteth suburb of Liverpool, he had always been a “friendly family man” willing to help out when needed.
But in just seven minutes, his deliberate and deranged actions would leave more than 100 people injured, some of them seriously, and raise fears of a terror attack on the city.
Yelling and swearing at the pedestrians he struck, Doyle continued ramming his Ford Galaxy through the crowds in an act of “calculated violence”.
Doyle had been expected to claim in court that he had never intended to hurt anyone and his actions had been the result of panic and fear.
But his 11th-hour admission of guilt on Wednesday, before he was due to stand trial, revealed that defence to be a lie.
It showed his actions to be the result of a complete loss of self-control and an extreme case of violent road rage.
Doyle’s voice cracked and he removed his glasses to wipe away tears 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.
As Doyle awaits sentencing next month, when he can expect a lengthy jail term, here is how the events unfolded.
It was on May 26 that celebration turned to carnage on the streets of Liverpool. The red half of the city was in a jubilant mood as football fans gathered to celebrate Liverpool FC’s success in the Premier League with an open-topped bus parade.
The team’s previous Premier League title was won during the pandemic, when it was not possible for large numbers of fans to celebrate together. This time, the club and the city were determined to mark the achievement with an event everyone could enjoy.
Doyle did not seem interested in attending the parade, but in keeping with his apparent nice-guy character, had agreed to drop off a friend and his family in the city centre so that they could join in.
He had also agreed to collect his friend after the parade was over – a decision he will no doubt regret for the rest of his life.
Dashcam footage and CCTV recordings from the day in question showed an entirely different side to his character.
Driving back into the city centre to meet and collect his friend, Doyle looked like a man dangerously out of control.
Speeding through the heavy traffic, undertaking other cars and running a red light, it was clear he was already in an agitated and aggressive mood.
Dashcam footage that was to be shown to the jury on Wednesday showed Doyle growing enraged as he became “increasingly agitated” by the crowds.
At 5.54pm, the celebrations in town were winding down and the tide of red and white supporters had slowly begun to drift away from the area around The Strand.
Many hundreds of fans were walking along Dale Street in the direction of Water Street when Doyle approached the area in his grey Ford Galaxy.
An audio recording recovered from the car’s dashcam captured him shouting and swearing at pedestrians who were standing in the road.
As he snaked his way into the city centre, Doyle encountered an ambulance that was weaving through the crowds to reach a person who had collapsed.
At Exchange Street East, the ambulance found the road blocked off with traffic cones, but recognising the paramedics were responding to an emergency, a member of the public moved a cone to allow it through.
Doyle, who was following close behind, took his opportunity and stole through the gap, making his way on to Dale Street.
Supporters, who were still in a jubilant mood, were shocked to see a car being driven so aggressively in a crowded area.
A woman pushing a pram was forced to move out of the way as he continued pressing forward against the flow of pedestrians. As he reached Stanley Street, Doyle’s fury was beginning to boil over and he drove through a red light.
One member of the crowd was heard to shout, “run me over – go ahead”, and another angered by Doyle’s driving banged on the side of the car as he flew past. By now Doyle appeared to have completely lost control and was even driving down the right hand side of the road.
At 5.58pm, a man walking with his child, concerned about Doyle’s driving, placed his foot on the bumper of his car and attempted to remonstrate with him. Lurching forwards, an increasingly furious Doyle responded: “It’s a f***ing road.”
Lawyers said this moment marked the point at which Doyle “moved well into the territory of loss of temper”. While the drivers of other vehicles waited patiently in line, perhaps accepting they would not be going anywhere for the time being, Doyle snapped.
Pulling into the right-hand lane, he began to drive towards pedestrians, blasting his horn as he went.
Fearing for their safety, some of those nearest his car began to bang on the roof in a desperate bid to get him to stop and calm down.
But Doyle did not halt, and could be heard repeatedly yelling “f***ing pricks!” at the injured.
Some kicked and punched the side of his car, while one managed to open the door and another threw a camping chair through the back window.
Accelerating, Doyle struck a pram containing 6-month-old Teddy Eveson.
Teddy was thrown 15ft (4.5m) down the road but, miraculously, not seriously hurt.
Driving towards the crowd, and into an area where vehicles were not permitted, Doyle struck more pedestrians, yelling “f***ing move” as he went.
Then, heading towards the town hall, he was sounding his car horn and swearing at the crowd as people were forced to dive for cover.
As he rammed his two-tonne Ford Galaxy into a teenage girl near Water Street, Doyle was heard to shout: “F***ing hell, move.”
At one stage, Doyle’s forward progress was halted, so he slammed the car into reverse gear and backed up, colliding with an ambulance as he did so.
Some of those who were hit became trapped under the wheels, suffering injuries that left them in hospital for months. Even then, Doyle did not come to his senses.
By now the crowds were densely packed around the car, desperate to halt the carnage, but Doyle once again hit the accelerator and crashed into more helpless pedestrians.
Eventually Daniel Barr, a passer-by, managed to get into the Galaxy, which was an automatic, and force the gear lever into Park mode, bringing it to a halt. Prosecutors called Barr a hero.
One injured victim said: “I thought it was terrorists. That’s the first thing that came into my head. Who else would do a thing like that?
“There were people lying about all over the place. It was like a bomb had gone off ... it was carnage everywhere ... people crying and screaming.”
Doyle was dragged from the car by the angry crowd, but was rescued by police officers before he could be seriously injured.
Doyle would later claim that he had stopped as soon as he had realised he had struck someone – a claim prosecutors said was a “bare-faced lie”.
He would also tell police he had genuinely feared for his life when he had driven through the busy streets, convinced he was about to be attacked and even stabbed by angry members of the crowd he branded “drunken loons”.
Prosecutors found no evidence that anybody in the vicinity had a knife, saying Doyle was “simply lying” but nevertheless he thanked the police for their bravery in rescuing him.
Doyle also claimed that a man he had encountered earlier on had been “very, very aggressive” and attempted to open his car door – another lie.
While continuing to plead innocence, Doyle claimed he was so convinced he was going to be killed by the crowds that his wife and children were running through his mind.
Doyle was once known as a quiet and devoted family man. After spending four years in the Royal Marines in the early 1990s, he worked as a network security manager. In 1998, he graduated with a BSc in Psychology and Maths from Liverpool University.
Steve, a mechanic who serviced Doyle’s Galaxy a few months before the attack, told the Telegraph: “He was so level-headed. The car had pictures of his wife and children on the dashboard.
“He was very proud of them and their education. I saw on telly the footage of what happened at the parade. I couldn’t believe it.”
Doyle has been told to expect a lengthy custodial sentence when he appears before the court again for a two-day hearing starting on December 15.
Sarah Hammond, the chief crown prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “Today’s convictions bring a measure of justice for an act that caused unimaginable harm during what should have been a day of celebration for the city of Liverpool.”
She said his rampage was an act of “calculated violence”, adding: “This was not a momentary lapse by Paul Doyle – it was a choice he made that day, and it turned celebration into mayhem.”
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