Doyle Sentenced 21y6m Over Liverpool Parade Fan Crash
By: Osabuohien Imuetinyanosa
Paul Doyle, a 54-year-old former Royal Marine from Liverpool, has been sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison after driving his vehicle into a crowd of supporters during a Premier League victory parade for Liverpool Football Club. The attack occurred on 26 May 2025, when hundreds of thousands of fans were celebrating Liverpool’s title win in the city centre. Doyle’s grey Ford Galaxy struck well over 100 people, injuring around 134 individuals, including young children and elderly spectators, before being stopped by a bystander who forcibly put the car into park.
The incident unfolded in the early evening on Water Street and Dale Street, two of the main routes of the parade, where thousands of fans were walking and celebrating. Doyle had driven into the city that afternoon to drop off and later pick up friends and family from the celebrations, but prosecutors told the court that he became increasingly angry by the dense crowds and “lost his temper”, deliberately steering his car into the pedestrian throng in a rage rather than in a panic. Dashcam footage played in court captured him shouting obscenities and repeatedly accelerating toward people attempting to move clear of his path.
Doyle initially denied the charges related to the attack, but just moments before his trial was due to start in late November 2025, he changed his plea to guilty on all 31 offences, including dangerous driving, affray, multiple counts of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, and attempted GBH against victims ranging in age from six months to 77 years old. Victims described severe physical and psychological trauma, with many requiring hospital treatment, and at least one infant being thrown several feet in a pram amid the chaos.
At sentencing on 16 December 2025 at Liverpool Crown Court, the judge condemned Doyle’s actions as driven by “inexplicable and undiluted fury” rather than fear, dismissing his claim that he had panicked because of a perceived threat. The rampage, which lasted only a couple of minutes, turned what should have been a day of joy into a scene of terror and lasting trauma for many fans — though, remarkably, no deaths were reported. The court also heard emotional impact statements from victims, and a bystander who helped stop the vehicle was praised for his bravery.
