Paul Doyle 'generated horror' on what was meant to be 'day of joyfulness'

Paul Doyle frightened people and drove dangerous from an early stage of his journey, his sentencing hearing was told this morning (December 15).

More than 130 people were injured after Doyle’s Ford Galaxy Titanium drove into crowds of Liverpool fans on Water Street on May 26, shortly after 6.00pm.

Last month, Doyle pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, affray, 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, nine counts of causing GBH with intent and three counts of wounding with intent.

Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC today told Liverpool Crown Court that Paul Doyle, 54, was driving from his home in Croxteth into central Liverpool to pick up friends who had attended the parade. Mr Greaney said Doyle “ignored” traffic implementation measures in place.

Mr Greaney said: “The defendant drove the Galaxy on to Dale Street at 5.54pm and began to travel in the direction of Water Street, so on a course opposite from the direction of travel of most of the fans, and towards them.

“From an early stage, Paul Doyle drove dangerously along that road, frightening people as he did so. Then at 5.59pm, he encountered some traffic implementation measures that were filtering vehicles off to the right.

“He came to halt, but shortly afterwards set off down the left side of Dale Street towards Water Street, ignoring the measures.”

Paul Greaney told the court Paul Doyle was not driven by ideology, adding: “This was, it should be categorically stated, not a terrorist attack.” He added that, at the time of the crash, Doyle was “completely sober and free of all drugs”.

He said that, when interviewed, Doyle claimed he acted in a “blind panic and in fear of his life” because of how some of the crowd behaved. Mr Greaney said the the prosecution believed that the account was “untrue”.

He said: “The truth is a simple one – Paul Doyle just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to.

“In a rage, he drove into the crowd. When he did so, he intended to cause people within the crowd serious harm.

“He was prepared to cause those in the crowd, even children, serious harm if necessary to achieve his aim of getting through.

“The truth is as simple as the consequences that day were awful.”

Mr Greaney added; “The prosecution case is that the defendant had used the vehicle as a weapon over that period of time.

“In doing so, he not only caused injury on a large scale, but also generated horror in those who had attended what they had thought would be a day of joyfulness.”

The hearing continues.