The man responsible for driving a car into crowds celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League title will learn his fate this week, as sentencing proceedings begin on Monday at Liverpool Crown Court.
Paul Doyle, who injured more than 100 people when he rammed his vehicle into fans in Liverpool city centre in May, will be sentenced over two days following his dramatic admission of guilt during his trial last month.
The 54-year-old had initially denied all allegations but broke down in court and reversed his position on the second day of proceedings in November, confessing that he had intentionally driven into pedestrians.
He has remained in custody since his arrest at the scene.
Doyle admitted to 31 offences, including grievous bodily harm with intent, wounding with intent, affray and dangerous driving.
Judge Andrew Menary warned him to brace himself for “a custodial sentence of some length”, with the most serious charges carrying a possible life sentence.
The charges relate to 29 victims, whose ages range from just six months old to 77 years. Prosecutors revealed that Doyle had planned to fight the case by claiming he panicked while driving, but instead made a last-minute decision to plead guilty to every count.
On May 26, Doyle left his family home in a quiet Liverpool suburb in a Ford Galaxy Titanium, claiming he was heading out to pick up a friend who had joined the massive crowds celebrating the club’s record-equalling 20th top-flight title.
Rather than avoiding the congestion, prosecutors said Doyle became enraged and, over a period of seven minutes, deliberately drove his nearly two-tonne vehicle into pedestrians on multiple streets.
Several victims were thrown onto the bonnet of the car as it forced its way through packed roads.
Merseyside Police said 134 people were injured in the rampage, with 50 requiring hospital treatment. No fatalities were recorded.
The youngest victim, a six-month-old baby who was thrown from a pram, escaped serious injury.
Authorities quickly ruled out terrorism, though many details of the incident only emerged during the trial.
Prosecutors were preparing to present dashcam footage showing Doyle shouting, swearing and sounding his horn as frustration boiled over.
“Rather than wait for them to pass, he deliberately drove at them, forcing his way through,” Crown Prosecution Service lawyer Sarah Hammond said after the guilty pleas. “This was not a momentary lapse by Paul Doyle — it was a choice he made that day and it turned celebration into mayhem.”
After striking an initial group of victims, Doyle continued onto another road, hitting more pedestrians. At one point, he reversed his vehicle, injuring others and colliding with an ambulance.
According to prosecutors, the car only came to a halt after multiple people, including children, became trapped underneath it. In the final moments, a pedestrian climbed into the vehicle and managed to shift the gear into park, ending what was described as a terrifying sequence of events.
Witnesses spoke of horrific scenes, with bodies scattered across the street and the sound of the vehicle driving over people.
Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald of Merseyside Police said the incident left a lasting impact. It was “hard to forget the shocking scenes from that day”, he said, adding that it was “only by sheer luck that nobody was killed because of Doyle’s reckless actions”.
Media reports say Doyle briefly served in the Royal Marines before later working in IT and cyber security. Neighbours described him as a fitness enthusiast, a devoted family man and someone who appeared well-liked in the community.
He was also listed as the owner of a headwear brand, FarOut Caps, and reportedly used its social media platforms to share posts about cryptocurrency and video gaming.
