Ex-Marine Used Car 'as Weapon' to 'Deliberately' Plow into Soccer Fans Celebrating at Parade, Court Hears: Reports

A former Royal Marine has been accused of “deliberately” driving his car into a crowd of people at a parade in Liverpool, England, a U.K. court has reportedly heard.

On the evening of Monday, May 26, Paul Doyle, 53, of West Derby in Liverpool, allegedly drove the vehicle into a crowd of people in the center of the city who were celebrating Liverpool Football Club’s Premier League soccer title, per the BBC.

Merseyside Police confirmed Doyle was charged with two counts of unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm; two counts of causing unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and two counts of attempted unlawful and malicious grievous bodily harm with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, as well as one count of dangerous driving, per a Thursday, May 29 news release.

The charges relate to six victims, including two children, after a total of 79 people were injured in the incident, the BBC reported. The police release confirmed that seven people remained in hospital as of Thursday, May 29.

On Friday, May 30, Doyle appeared at Liverpool Crown Court “visibly shaken” and appeared to hold back tears, per The Independent.

Prosecutor Philip Astbury told the court that Doyle, a married father of three, allegedly “drove deliberately” into the crowd while they were leaving the parade, The Guardian reported. Astbury also said that the suspect had “used his vehicle as a weapon to injure.”

Hundreds of thousands of people had been celebrating in Liverpool city center on Monday before the incident, the outlet noted.

Sky News reported that Doyle had given no indication of pleas when the charges were read to the court. 

A plea and trial preparation hearing has been set for Aug. 12, the BBC reported. Judge Andrew Menary KC has said he would set a provisional trial date for Nov. 24, and the case is expected to last three to four weeks, per the outlet.

Sarah Hammond, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said in a news release while announcing the charges against Doyle on Thursday, “We know Monday’s shocking scenes reverberated around the city of Liverpool, and the entire country, on what should have been a day of celebration for hundreds of thousands of Liverpool FC supporters. Our thoughts remain with all those affected.”

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Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said in Thursday’s police release, “I fully understand how this incident has left us all shocked and saddened, and I know many will continue to have concerns and questions.”

“Our detectives are working tirelessly, with diligence and professionalism, to seek the answers to all those questions. When we are able to, we will provide further information,” she added.

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Sims said, “Merseyside Police is determined to gather as much evidence as possible to ensure that every avenue is explored.”

“I hope that all of those who were injured, or witnessed this terrible incident are able – given time – to heal and recover,” the statement included.

“This continues to be a large and complex investigation and detectives are reviewing a huge volume of CCTV and mobile phone footage submitted by the public and businesses, as well as footage from our own body worn cameras and dashcams,” Sims stated, per the release.

The CPS and Merseyside Police didn’t have any additional information to add when contacted by PEOPLE. Doyle’s attorney’s law firm did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment.