A driver who ploughed his car into crowds celebrating a parade in Liverpool has been sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison after his own dashcam footage exposed a series of lies he told police.
Dashcam Contradicts "Panic" Defence
Paul Doyle, 54, had claimed to detectives that he drove into the crowds on May 26 in a state of "blind panic". He told officers he acted after fans began banging on his car roof, that he saw a man with a knife, and feared he was "going to die". He also insisted he stopped his vehicle as soon as he struck the first pedestrian.
However, prosecutors presented evidence from Doyle's own dashboard camera which proved these accounts were "clearly untrue". The footage showed him deliberately driving into dozens of fans, sounding his horn and shouting at people to get out of his way. The court heard he acted after the "red mist" descended in a fit of rage.
Last-Minute Guilty Plea to 31 Offences
Doyle had repeatedly and tearfully denied wrongdoing during earlier court appearances. However, in a dramatic turn at Liverpool Crown Court last month, he changed his plea just minutes before his trial was due to begin.
Sobbing in the dock, he admitted to 31 offences against 21 adults and eight children. These included:
- 17 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.
- 9 counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Doyle had travelled into the city centre that day to pick up a friend who had been watching the parade. He claimed his journey was blocked by crowds on Dale Street and that an altercation with an aggressive man and the sight of a knife triggered his panic.
Police Dismiss Claims After 1,500 Witness Statements
Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald stated that after speaking to approximately 1,500 witnesses, police could find no evidence to support Doyle's story about a knife or a sustained attack on his car. The investigation, which reviewed extensive CCTV alongside the dashcam, concluded he had simply lost his temper.
"No sensible person could credit the suggestion that the defendant did not know he had struck many, many people, some of whom were pressed onto his bonnet, right in front of his face," prosecutors told the court.
DCI Fitzgerald, who was off-duty and attending the parade himself, said he initially feared a terrorist attack when he heard the news. "To think it is just someone in a fit of rage is incomprehensible really," he added.
The judge handed down the substantial sentence, reflecting the severity of the deliberate attack and the lasting trauma inflicted on the victims, including multiple children.
