A former Royal Marine has been remanded in custody accused of driving into and injuring fans at Liverpool football club’s Premier League victory parade.
Paul Doyle, 53, looked shaken and tired as he appeared at Liverpool magistrates court on Friday charged with offences including wounding and causing grievous bodily harm to six people, including an 11-year-old.
Doyle, a married father of three, shook his head as the prosecutor Philip Astbury told the court he allegedly “drove deliberately” at a crowd of people as they tried to leave the parade.
At least 79 people were injured when a Ford Galaxy Titanium was driven into a crowd at the end of title celebrations enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people in Liverpool city centre on bank holiday Monday.
The injured were aged from nine to 78, police said, and about 50 people needed hospital treatment.
Doyle, from the West Derby area of Liverpool, is accused of seven offences – two counts of wounding with intent, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of dangerous driving.
The charges relate to six alleged victims in total, one of whom was still in hospital on Friday. The youngest alleged victims are aged 11 and 17. Two charges, wounding and attempted grievous bodily harm, relate to one of the young people. None of the six can be named due to reporting restrictions.
Wearing a black suit and grey tie, Doyle spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth during the short magistrates court hearing. He looked emotional as he was brought into the packed courtroom, glancing briefly at the dozens of reporters before fixing his gaze to the floor.
Astbury said it was alleged that Doyle “used his vehicle as a weapon to injure”. Richard Derby, defending, said there was no indication of his pleas to the charges at this stage.
After a 12-minute hearing, Doyle was remanded in custody and told by the district judge, Paul Healey, that he would appear at Liverpool crown court later the same day.
Astbury argued Doyle should be refused bail as there was a “real risk to his safety” if he were allowed to leave court. The prosecutor said the defendant “appeared to be a man of some means”, meaning there was a “substantial risk of failing to attend court”.
Healey, the district judge, described the case as “truly exceptional” as he imposed reporting restrictions preventing the identification of the six victims. He said the defendant was alleged to have caused “very extensive injuries” and there was a “very real prospect of further charges”.
Later on Friday, in a brief hearing at Liverpool crown court before Judge Menary KC, Astbury said: “This is very much an ongoing investigation and there are many witnesses still be interviewed and a great deal of CCTV still to be analysed and, of course, medical evidence to be secured.”
Doyle nodded as he was told by Menary that he would be remanded in custody “given the nature of the public interest in this case and the legitimate concerns that others have about your welfare if in the community”. He was told he would next appear at Liverpool crown court on 14 August before a provisional trial date on 24 November.
Doyle’s LinkedIn profile says he was a Royal Marine commando between 1990 and 1994 before working in IT and cybersecurity. The university graduate is said to have worked previously for an NHS trust and a large UK wealth management firm.
The Crown Prosecution Service said on Thursday it would keep the charges under review “as the investigation progresses”.
The assistant chief constable Jenny Sims, of Merseyside police, said the force was “determined to gather as much evidence as possible” and that detectives were analysing volumes of CCTV footage, dashcam material and police body-worn video.
Sims said: “I fully understand how this incident has left us all shocked and saddened, and I know many will continue to have concerns and questions. Our detectives are working tirelessly, with diligence and professionalism, to seek the answers to all those questions. When we are able to, we will provide further information.”
She added: “We know Monday’s shocking scenes reverberated around the city of Liverpool, and the entire country, on what should have been a day of celebration for hundreds of thousands of Liverpool FC supporters. Our thoughts remain with all those affected.”
