Man Jailed 21 Years For Ramming Car Into Liverpool FC Celebration

A Liverpool Crown Court has sentenced Paul Doyle to 21 years and six months in prison for deliberately driving into a crowd during Liverpool FC’s Premier League victory parade in May.

The attack, the judge said, caused “horror and devastation” across the city.

Doyle was convicted of 31 offences, including dangerous driving, nine counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, 17 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, three counts of wounding with intent and one count of affray.

The court heard that in a matter of minutes, Doyle used his vehicle “as a weapon,” striking more than 100 people, including children, babies and elderly spectators.

Handing down the sentence, Judge Andrew Menary KC said Doyle “drove over limbs and crushed prams,” describing footage of the incident as “truly shocking” and difficult to convey in words.

He rejected Doyle’s claim that he acted in panic due to the crowd, stressing that “the crowd did not cause this incident; they reacted to it.”

“The truth was that you lost your temper in a rage, determined to force your way through the crowd regardless of the consequences. By your pleas of guilty you admit you intended to cause serious harm to that end, even to children,” the judge told Doyle.

The judge acknowledged that Doyle had not offended for more than three decades and had “turned his life around” following a troubled early adulthood. Character references described him as a devoted husband and father who had lived a disciplined life. However, Judge Menary said such mitigation could only carry limited weight given the gravity of the offences.

“The sentence I am bound to pass will have a devastating impact,” he said, adding that the scale of harm caused was unprecedented in the court’s experience.

The court also commended Daniel Barr, the man who climbed into Doyle’s car and shifted the automatic gear into park, bringing the vehicle to a stop.

Judge Menary said Barr’s actions likely “saved lives” and awarded him a High Sheriff’s award for bravery, along with a £250 monetary award.

Reacting to the sentence, James Allison of the Crown Prosecution Service said Doyle “generated horror and chaos on what was meant to be a day of celebration and joyfulness.”

He praised Barr’s intervention, saying he “can truly be described as a hero,” and credited extensive CCTV and mobile phone footage with helping to build a strong case that left Doyle with “no choice but to plead guilty.”

Earlier, the court heard details of Doyle’s past offenses between the ages of 18 and 22, including an assault described by prosecutors as “biting a sailor’s ear off.”

Judge Menary ruled that these historic convictions would not increase the sentence, noting Doyle had not reoffended for more than 30 years prior to the parade attack.

The judge also commended the emergency services and Merseyside Police for their response amid “extreme confusion and distress.”