The man charged with multiple offences after driving his car into the crowds at Liverpool’s title parade on Monday ‘appeared emotional’ as the charges were read out to him in court today.
Paul Doyle, 53, from West Derby, was accused by the prosecution of ‘using his car as a weapon’, having ploughed through dozens of Liverpool fans and hospitalising 79 people in total.
The ex Royal Marine and dad-of-three was said to be ‘holding back tears’ when he spoke to briefly confirm his name and address at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court this morning.
Judge Paul Healey denied Doyle bail as he posed a ‘significant risk’ of not appearing at court.
The full list of charges are as follows:
- Two counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm
- Two counts of causing unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm
- Two counts of attempted, unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
- One count of dangerous driving, contrary to section two of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Doyle is said to have seized an opportunity to cut through traffic as he followed an ambulance crew which had been let into Water Street to help treat someone who had a heart attack.
It’s still not been determined what prompted him to start running people over, but there is footage doing the rounds that shows pedestrians punching and kicking his car in the lead-up to the incident. Which probably isn’t an ideal situation for a former Royal Marine with potential PTSD to be in.
Not that this would excuse what he did in any way, of course, but maybe it does offer some kind of insight into how his mind could have been working.
As far as we know, there still hasn’t been any mention in court of the drugs that Doyle was supposedly on at the time, and they’re not reflected in the charges either. Wonder if that was even true?
A close friend of Doyle’s who spoke to MailOnline said they “felt sick” at the news, and claimed it was “completely out of character” for Doyle. They said: “It is completely out of character. He is a nice lad. He has a heart of gold. I have only just found out and I feel a bit sick.”
Will be interesting to see how harshly the justice system comes down on Doyle, and whether we get more clarity as to what was going through his mind at the time. Also, what does the incident mean for public parades going forward?
For more information about Paul Doyle, his education and work history, click HERE.
