Liverpool parade crash driver appears in UK court | Courts News
A total of 79 people were injured after a car drove into a crowd after Liverpool Football Club’s trophy parade.
A former British marine has appeared in court accused of driving a vehicle into a crowd of people celebrating Liverpool Football Club’s Premier League title win.
Paul Doyle briefly appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning, where he read out his personal details, according to United Kingdom media reports.
Doyle, 53, is facing seven charges, including dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, which carry a maximum life sentence if convicted, after a dark Ford Galaxy drove into Liverpool Football Club supporters attending a parade in the city centre to celebrate the club winning the Premier League.
A total of 79 people, aged between nine and 78, were injured in the incident, and no deaths were reported.
Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims told reporters on Thursday that seven people remained in hospital.
According to local reports, Doyle lives in a suburb of Liverpool and is a businessman with three teenage children.
The charges followed what Crown Prosecution Service’s Sarah Hammond described as a “complex and ongoing investigation”.
“Prosecutors and police are continuing to work at pace to review a huge volume of evidence,” she said.
“This includes multiple pieces of video footage and numerous witness statements. It is important to ensure every victim gets the justice they deserve,” she added.
Shortly after the incident, Merseyside Police quickly ruled out possible terrorism as the reason behind the crash and revealed that the suspect was a white British man, in a move to stop the spread of misinformation online.
Last year, misinformation circulating online about an attacker who killed three girls in the Southport area led to anti-immigration and Islamophobic riots in parts of England.
