Paul Doyle, Liverpool football parade driver, jailed for more than 20 years

Paul Doyle, Liverpool football parade driver, jailed for more than 20 yearsEx-Royal Marine drove into a mass of Liverpool fans celebrating Premier League victory in May, injuring more than 130.Published On 16 Dec 2025A British driver who injured more than 130 people by speeding his car into a crowd of Liverpool football fans during a championship victory parade in May has been sentenced to 21 and a half years.Paul Doyle, 54, rammed his minivan into the mass of fans in the city of Liverpool simply because he lost his temper, according to prosecutors. Last month, he pleaded guilty to charges, including nine counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and 17 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.“The footage is truly shocking,” Judge Andrew Menary said on Tuesday.“It is difficult, if not impossible, to convey in words alone the scenes of devastation you caused. It shows you deliberately accelerating into groups of fans, time and time again,” he told Doyle.Dashcam footage from the vehicle, played in court, showed the shocking moments when fans – adults and children alike – were thrown onto the bonnet of the car or fell underneath as he accelerated down a street which had been closed to traffic.“To drive a vehicle into crowds of pedestrians with such persistence and disregard for human life defies ordinary understanding,” the judge said.Doyle sobbed in Liverpool-crown-court" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="7117" data-entity-type="organization">Liverpool Crown Court over the two-day sentencing as prosecutors detailed the May 26 crime, using graphic video footage.The former Royal Marine said he flew into a fury because he could not get where he was going fast enough to pick up a family friend who had attended the parade.“The defendant is horrified by what he did,” his lawyer Simon Csoka told the court. “He is remorseful, ashamed and deeply sorry for all those who were hurt or suffered.”