Multiple British media outlets reported on Tuesday, citing the sentencing ruling from the Liverpool Crown Court, that 54-year-old Paul Doyle, the man who deliberately drove his car into a crowd of fans during Liverpool's 2024/25 Premier League title parade, injuring 134 people, was found guilty and sentenced to 21 and a half years in prison.

According to reports, the judge initially intended to sentence Doyle to 24 years, but because he later pleaded guilty, the court was required by British law to reduce his sentence by 10%.

However, because Doyle pleaded guilty much later, the judge considered his attitude of remorse not entirely sincere. Therefore, after considering various factors, including "evidence of character and past conduct" and "future rehabilitability," the judge ultimately decided to sentence Doyle to 21 and a half years in prison, deeming the sentence reasonable.

Furthermore, Doyle must serve two-thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole, and will be prohibited from holding a driver's license for three years and ten months after his release.

Prosecutors will only allow him to retake his driving test after determining that Doyle no longer poses a threat to the public.

Although Doyle's defense attorney, Simon Csoka, stated in his closing argument that the suspect was "deeply remorseful, ashamed, and regretful" about his actions, and the prosecutor and judge believed that Doyle did not premeditate the incident, they still believed that Doyle's heinous behaviour must be severely punished.

Prosecutor Paul Greaney stated that Doyle lost his temper and acted irrationally simply because the road was congested with fans. On "a joyous day," he deliberately drove towards the crowd, attempting to force his way to where he wanted to go, creating a terrifying incident that still haunts many people. It is an truly unforgivable crime. "

Judge Andrew Menary, reading Doyle's sentence, said, 'You were consumed by rage and recklessly forced your way through the crowd, completely disregarding the consequences. You admitted that you intentionally caused serious harm, including to children, in order to achieve your goal.'

'It's hard to imagine any sane person acting like you. The crowd wasn't the instigator of this incident. They were simply reacting to a car that drove straight at them, knocking down many people. Such reckless driving into a crowd, such disregard for life, is simply irrational.'

Following the incident, Sky Sports released dashcam footage provided by the Merseyside Police.

The footage showed Doyle driving to Liverpool city centre to pick up a friend who wanted to attend the parade. However, due to the large crowd causing traffic congestion, he shouted, cursed, and honked his car before driving into the crowd, covering pedestrians with his back to the road. The entire incident lasted 77 seconds.

In their police statements, the victims described the long-term impact of the incident on them and their families. Some were unable to work or care for their families; others were afraid to go to crowded places and were unable to attend any Liverpool's subsequent events.

Judge Menary expressed "deep shock" at Doyle's actions during the trial, and stated that the charges against him were "overwhelming."

Following the confirmation of Doyle's conviction and imprisonment, Liverpool issued a statement on their official website, stating that the club respects the court's decision and promises to continue providing medical and mental health support to all victims. They also urged fans to contact Liverpool City Council's emergency services directly in the event of similar incidents in the future.

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.

Later, over 50 more fans, including elderly people and children, were also injured. Reports of injuries and hospitalization brought the total number of injured fans in the incident to 134.

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.

In September of this year, Doyle maintained a firm plea of not guilty at his initial hearing. The court later scheduled the first trial to begin on November 25th.

Because the case had entered the judicial process, and the court had ordered cautious reporting to avoid media attention, the outcome of the first trial was not approved for reporting until early December.

Finally, during the first trial, unable to withstand the pressure and pangs of conscience, he suddenly decided to forgo his defense and plead guilty to every charges read aloud against him by the prosecutor. During which, he broke down in tears several times in court.