An ex-Marine who deliberately drove into a crowd of Liverpool FC fans, injuring more than 100 people, faces a harsh and perilous existence behind bars, according to criminal justice experts.
A Web of Lies Unravels in Court
Paul Doyle, 54, was sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison at Liverpool Crown Court for using his car as a weapon during the city's victory parade in May 2025. The attack left 134 attendees with injuries, some suffering serious physical harm and lasting psychological trauma including PTSD.
Initially, Doyle spun a false narrative to police, claiming he acted in panic and feared for his life. He alleged a bottle had been thrown and that he had seen someone with a knife. However, harrowing dashcam footage presented in court completely contradicted his account. The video showed him shouting angrily, swearing, and repeatedly sounding his horn as he ploughed into pedestrians, continuing to drive even as victims were thrown onto his bonnet and trapped beneath the vehicle.
The courtroom, packed with victims and their families, heard gasps of horror as the footage played. Doyle's last-minute guilty plea, entered just before trial, did little to mitigate the scale of his crimes.
A 'Tough Time' Awaits in the Prison System
Criminologists warn that Doyle's notoriety and the nature of his crime mean he is unlikely to have an easy passage through the prison system. Nusrit Mehtab, a former Met superintendent and senior lecturer in criminal justice, explained that while he may start in a Category B prison, his daily life will be strictly regulated.
"He'll have interaction with other prisoners but it's structured through regulated associated periods," Ms Mehtab stated. "Staff will monitor his behaviour, intelligence, his risk, his interaction. They'll keep a good eye on him."
She and other experts highlighted the significant risk of reprisals from other inmates. A source noted that many prisoners in northern jails would have had friends or relatives at the parade. Alex Izsatt, a criminologist and psychologist, said Doyle will likely "face a tough time from other inmates due to the range of victims as well as the fact he drove into football fans."
Ms Mehtab added that attacking ordinary people is viewed as "cowardly and indiscriminate violence" within prison culture, placing Doyle low in the informal inmate hierarchy.
Doyle's Violent Past and Double Life
During sentencing, the court heard details of Doyle's previous criminal convictions, which he had kept hidden from his community. Paul Greaney KC, prosecuting, revealed Doyle had a history of violence dating back to his short-lived military career.
He enlisted in the Royal Marines at 19 but was discharged after just 22 months, having never seen active service. His service record included convictions for violence to a superior officer and conduct prejudicial to good order. In 1994, he was jailed for 12 months for grievous bodily harm after biting off part of another man's ear in a fight.
This violent past stood in stark contrast to his public persona. In his local community, he was known as a church-going, teetotal fitness enthusiast who meditated and offered help to neighbours. Social media depicted a life of extensive travel, triathlons, and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. His online activity showed an interest in cryptocurrency and he followed controversial figures like Nigel Farage and Andrew Tate.
Mr Greaney acknowledged Doyle had lived a seemingly positive life for 30 years after his early convictions, which made his actions in Liverpool "more shocking and tragic." As he begins his lengthy sentence, experts agree the consequences of his lies and violence will define his bleak future in prison.
