Paul Doyle pleaded guilty on Wednesday to seriously injuring people when he drove into crowds celebrating Liverpool's Premier League title win on May 26. The 54-year-old changed his pleas on the second day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court, admitting dangerous driving, affray, 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, nine counts of causing GBH with intent and three counts of wounding with intent.
Doyle sat with his head down and sobbed as he changed his pleas, speaking with a broken voice as he occasionally wiped away tears. He had previously denied all offences relating to the incident that left more than 130 people injured when he drove his Ford Galaxy Titanium into crowds on Water Street just after 6pm.
The victims
The charges relate to 29 victims aged between six months and 77 years old. The youngest alleged victim was Teddy Eveson, whose parents later told media he was thrown about 15 feet down the road in his pram when the crash happened. Doyle admitted attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to the baby.
Five other children who Doyle is alleged to have either injured or attempted to injure cannot be named for legal reasons. He was arrested at the scene and charged later that week.
The parade
Thousands of Liverpool fans were in the city on May 26 to watch the parade, which started at 2.30pm and travelled 15km before entering the city centre. The team bus had travelled down The Strand, which passes the end of Water Street, before the incident. The parade was coming to a close, with supporters heading home.
Merseyside Police said in May they believed the driver had followed an ambulance onto Water Street after a road block was temporarily lifted for crews to attend to a person having a heart attack. The defendant, reportedly a former Royal Marine, was in tears at a number of pre-trial hearings when he appeared over videolink from prison. He was supported in court by family members from Croxteth, Liverpool.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
