In dramatic scenes, Paul Doyle changed his plea to guilty after ploughing his car into crowds at the Liverpool victory parade, injuring 134 people including children
Paul Doyle was standing trial over the Liverpool victory parade crash that injured 134 adults and children when he mysteriously changed his plea on day two.
Doyle, 54, initially pleaded not guilty to 31 alleged offences, including 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 after the horror unfolded in the city centre where football fans had gathered to celebrate a triumphant Premier League title win.
At 6pm on May 26, Doyle’s Ford Galaxy mounted the pavement and hurtled through the crowds for a distance of around 50 metres. Those injured were between the ages of six months and 78 years, with eyewitnesses describing victims trapped beneath the wheels and being thrown over the bonnet.
In unexpected scenes this week, Doyle admitted ploughing his car into crowds in Liverpool city centre and sobbed in the dock as he quietly answered guilty to all charges. He is now likely to be sentenced on either December 15 or 16. The Recorder of Liverpool Andrew Menary KC told Doyle it was ‘inevitable’ he would be facing a custodial sentence ‘of some length’.
Shedding light on the case, Sarah Hammond, chief crown prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: “Paul Doyle has been held responsible for his deliberate actions that endangered lives and brought chaos upon a community. A total of 134 people were injured, including children as young as six months. This attack did not just harm individuals – it struck at the heart of a city united in joy, leaving fear in its wake.
“By entering guilty pleas, Doyle has finally accepted that he intentionally drove into crowds of innocent people during Liverpool FC’s victory parade. Dashcam footage from Doyle’s vehicle shows that as he approached Dale Street and Water Street, he became increasingly agitated by the crowds. Rather than wait for them to pass, he deliberately drove at them, forcing his way through.
“Driving a vehicle into a crowd is an act of calculated violence. This was not a momentary lapse by Paul Doyle – it was a choice he made that day and it turned celebration into mayhem. I would like to commend the bravery of emergency services who acted swiftly at the scene. There can be no doubt that their actions saved lives.”
The outcome has left many unanswered questions, including why he did it and why he changed his plea. Shedding light on his possible thought process, Criminology and psychologist Alex Izatt tells The Mirror she believes the father-of-three’s decision may have been influenced by wanting to avoid the exposure of a four-week trial, coupled with guidance around sentencing.
“Paul’s tears today, and yesterday, along with a last min plea change suggest genuine remorse and the full weight of recognising the harm he caused,” she says. “The guilty plea avoids the stress of a drawn-out trial moving straight to sentencing. For his lawyers they may have persuaded him to change the plea on the evidence presented as the chances of acquittal or even a more favourable verdict as very slim.
“Legally, a plea cannot be remote or in writing for serious indictable offences like this and must be recorded in open court in front of a judge, which is why it happened in court today rather than earlier. It could be strategic performance of course, tears or a breakdown may be used to appeal for mercy, show vulnerability, or humanise the defendant to the judge, but he comes across as an emotional person, whether its rage or tears taking over.”
However, she believes that a second explanation could be at play, citing Doyle’s military past. “Regards to the dashcam footage, as a former Royal Marine, Paul may be living with PTSD, which can lower the threshold for anger and impulsive behaviour. As he became increasingly frustrated he felt trapped, his emotions overtook reasoning, leading to impulsive, catastrophic decisions,” she says.
“A late guilty plea can limits the reduction in sentence, the court will have to weigh the number of victims, severity of injuries, and the scale of risk. If there is evidence of PTSD or trauma it could be presented to show the impulsive nature of his actions rather than deliberate intent. Also previous good character and visible remorse could soften the sentence slightly, but it’s likely that due to the number of victims that, a long-term prison term is almost certain probably 10 to 20 years.
“As it’s a high profile case, Paul may start in a high security prison, and be moved at a later date, depending on good behaviour. If he’s prone to emotional breakdowns, or PTSD they may provide segregation or protective custody initially to prevent self-harm or aggression triggered by stress. It’s likely he will face a tough time from other inmates due to the range of victims as well as the fact he drove into football fans. His own emotional burden of guilt may weigh him down, and he’ll probably be on suicide watch.”
Legal expert James Pipe agrees that the move may well have been heavily influenced by his emotions and desire to avoid a long and exposing trial. “Changing a plea at the very last moment is usually a sign that the reality of a trial has finally hit home. For someone like Paul Doyle, the emotional breakdown in court suggests a combination of remorse and the sheer psychological weight of knowing he was about to sit through days of evidence, cross-examination, and public scrutiny. Many defendants simply cannot face that.”
He explains that the guilty plea – although late – will still add some benefit to his sentence. “He won’t receive the full one-third reduction given for early admissions, but the judge can still apply a smaller discount. It also removes the uncertainty of a jury trial, and spares the victims’ families from reliving the incident in court – something judges do take into account,” Mr Pipe adds.
“Mitigation such as previous good character, genuine remorse, and cooperation with the process will be considered, but they won’t override the seriousness of the offence. The dashcam evidence indicating rising frustration and a moment of rage could work against him, as it suggests impulsive but deliberate behaviour rather than an unavoidable accident.
“In practical terms, a custodial sentence is still very likely. His life inside will depend heavily on his risk level and behaviour, but first-time offenders who plead guilty and show remorse are typically placed on safer, more supervised wings and encouraged into rehabilitation programmes early.
“Ultimately, this plea is damage limitation. He’s accepted responsibility, avoided putting the families through a trial, and positioned himself for the best possible outcome in circumstances that were always going to end in a conviction.”
The Sun reports that psychologists who examined Doyle at Wakefield Prison have concluded he is “likely to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder”.
They said: “That means he’s pretty likely to be moved to a secure hospital unit once he’s sentenced. His life there would be much more comfortable than in prison as he’d be treated as a patient, not an inmate.
“He’d be held in better conditions, plus he’d get more therapy and help getting his life back on track. A lot of prisoners try to play the mental health card, but with Doyle his PTSD was diagnosed pretty quickly and it seems genuine.”
In the run up to his trial, he is said to have been moved from Wakefield Prison and is now being treated as a Category A inmate and is checked around the clock by guards.
The source added: “A lot of inmates, especially at northern prisons, will have had friends or relatives at the parade so it’s not hard to see why he might be targeted.”
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