A man has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison after deliberately driving into a crowd of Liverpool football fans celebrating a Premier League victory, leaving 134 people injured including eight young children.
A Chilling Attack on a Day of Celebration
On a spring bank holiday Monday, tens of thousands of supporters had filled the streets of Liverpool to celebrate their club's triumph. The mood was one of pure joy until Paul Doyle, behind the wheel of a Ford Galaxy, turned the parade into a scene of terror.
Dashcam footage from Doyle's vehicle, described by investigators as the most graphic they had ever seen, showed him accelerating into groups of fans repeatedly. The court heard how bodies were thrown aside, people disappeared under the front of the car, and prams were crushed under its wheels.
The audio recorded Doyle shouting profanities, yelling at people to "get out the f***ing way". Prosecutors stated these words proved he was fully aware he was driving directly at people. Judge Andrew Menary KC told Doyle his "disregard for human life defies ordinary understanding" and that he acted in an "inexplicable and undiluted fury".
The Hero Who Halted the Rampage
The attack was finally stopped not by police, but by the quick thinking and bravery of former soldier Dan Barr. As Doyle paused briefly, Barr managed to climb into the back seat of the moving car.
"It was desperation to get him stopped," Mr Barr recalled. He described the horrific moment the door slammed shut, silencing the chaos outside only to be replaced by the sound of people being hit. Barr then managed to jam the car's automatic gearstick into park, bringing the vehicle to a halt.
Merseyside Police have described Barr as a hero, stating that without his actions, Doyle would have continued his rampage. Barr has said the experience has left him profoundly changed, admitting, "I'm not the same since that day."
A Violent Past and a Lack of Remorse
It can now be revealed that Paul Doyle has a history of violence. In the early 1990s, while serving in the Royal Marines, he was convicted of biting off part of a person's ear during a pub fight, leading to his discharge from the military.
During police interviews following the parade attack, Doyle claimed he acted in panic because someone with a knife had opened his car door. Investigators, however, spoke to 1,500 witnesses and found no corroboration for this story. He also falsely claimed he stopped after hitting the first person; in reality, he had struck more than 100 individuals.
Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald, the senior investigating officer, said Doyle "clearly got red mist" and became angrier as the incident progressed. While he may not have set out that day to injure people, his actions behind the wheel were deliberate. Doyle has shown no remorse for his actions, telling officers only that he had "ruined my family's lives".
Paul Doyle was jailed for 21 years and six months after pleading guilty to multiple charges. The dashcam footage was so distressing it was not shown in court and will not be released to the public. Judge Menary concluded that Doyle's actions "caused horror and devastation on a scale not previously encountered by this court".
