The Liverpool ECHO, citing Merseyside Police, reported that the 54-year-old suspect who deliberately drove his car into a crowd of fans during Liverpool's 2024/25 Premier League title parade, but denied all 31 charges against him, has finally changed his stance and pleaded guilty.

According to the report, before the trial formally begin, the prosecutor and the presiding judge had warned the suspect, Paul Doyle, that if convicted, he will expect to face a long prison sentence.

Perhaps unable to withstand the pressure and pangs of conscience, the suspect, escorted by three security guards, suddenly decided to forgo his defense when he was taken to the Liverpool Crown Court for his first hearing. He pleaded guilty to every question and charge read aloud by the prosecutor, and broke down in tears several times during the proceedings.

The trial is expected to last four weeks. Although Doyle has pleaded guilty to all 31 charges against him, the judge will still rely on the defense attorney's argument of "character and past conduct evidence" to determine his likelihood of rehabilitation, which will affect his final sentencing.

In any case, the judge has instructed Doyle and his defense attorney to prepare for the worst-case scenario, and Doyle must remain in police custody until his sentence is determined.

Regarding the trial, a Liverpool official spokesperson said: "Last May's parade brought together an unprecedented number of Liverpool fans to celebrate our Premier League title win, something we couldn't achieve in 2020."

"That incredibly joyous day ended in unimaginable tragedy, and we hope today's verdict will bring some solace to all those affected by this terrible event. We stand with them."

"We want to thank our emergency services and partner organizations, Merseyside Police, Northwest and St John Ambulance Services, Merseyside Fire & Rescue, and all the members of the public who showed such courage and compassion that day. Their actions undoubtedly saved lives and exemplified the spirit of our city. You'll Never Walk Alone."

How it happened

Liverpool held a celebration parade in Liverpool city center on May 26 after the club won the Premier League title in the 2024/25 season.

Since this was the first time that the Reds held a parade after winning the league title in 35 years, it attracted hundreds of millions of fans in red clothes to take to the streets to celebrate that day. Unexpectedly, this day that was originally a festive day became a regrettable day.

The horrific incident occurred at around 6 p.m. local time on May 26. The police initially revealed that the man involved was a white man in his 50s living in Liverpool. The suspect's identity was later confirmed as Doyle.

As the Liverpool trophy parade was coming to an end, Doyle followed an ambulance on patrol on Water Street in the city center, and suddenly crashed his dark blue Ford Galaxy into the Liverpool fans who were celebrating around the street for no reason.

During the process, more than 27 fans were hit by him, and several fans were hit and stucked under the car. Among the victims, 4 were children, and one of the 4 children was seriously injured and had to be sent to the intensive care unit of Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

The most seriously injured was a six-month-old boy, Teddy Everson.

Subsequently, nearly more than 10 adult fans who were at the scene also spontaneously went to the hospital for outpatient treatment, bringing the total number of Liverpool fans affected in this incident to 50. Fortunately, the incident did not cause any deaths.

In addition to the 50 fans mentioned above,  paramedic who was riding a bicycle to rescue injured fans at the scene was also hit because he could not dodge in time.

After receiving the report from Liverpool fans, the police quickly dispatched and arrived at the scene within 4 minutes. When the authorities arrived at the scene, many Liverpool fans had spontaneously helped the medical staff of the emergency unit to help the injured fans get on the ambulance, and several stronger fans, regardless of their own safety, spontaneously blocked the car of the suspect and tried to stop Doyle.

For this, the police were very grateful to the fans for their courageous behavior and hoped that these fans would not be hurt.

About half an hour later, Doyle was arrested by the police and an investigation was launched into his motives for committing the crime.

Merseyside Police later confirmed that Doyle had been charged with one count of dangerous driving, one count of affray, 18 counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, seven counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and two counts of wounding with intent.

In September of this year, Doyle maintained a firm plea of not guilty at his initial hearing, and the court later scheduled the first hearing for November 25th.

Because the case had entered the judicial process, and the court had ordered careful reporting to avoid media attention, the outcome of the first hearing had been delayed until now before being approved for reporting.