Ex-Royal Marine Pleads Guilty in Crash That Injured 130 Fans Celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League Championship By Sean Neumann

Paul Doyle, the man charged in connection with injuring at least 130 people during a celebratory parade for Liverpool’s Premier League soccer championship, has pleaded guilty.

Doyle, a 54-year-old father of two, pleaded guilty on Wednesday afternoon, according to the BBC, ESPN, and The Guardian. The outlets reported that Doyle initially pleaded not guilty before tearfully changing his plea on Wednesday, the second day of his trial at the Liverpool Crown Court.

Doyle, a former Royal Marine, pleaded guilty to charges including dangerous driving, affray, 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, nine counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent as well as three counts of wounding with intent.

The harrowing incident took place on May 26 while Liverpool F.C. was celebrating the team’s second-ever Premier League Championship with thousands of fans in attendance on the city’s streets. Doyle reportedly tried to follow an ambulance down a blocked-off road before becoming irate and driving into crowds of fans, who then tried to forcibly remove him from the vehicle before police got involved in the chaotic scene, according to The Guardian.

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Doyle’s victims ranged in age and included children – some as young as six months old, according to the BBC. The eldest person who reported an injury was 77 years old, according to the outlet.

“Dashcam footage from Doyle’s vehicle shows that as he approached Dale Street and Water Street, he became increasingly agitated by the crowds,” chief crown prosecutor Sarah Hammond told the court during Doyle’s trial, according to the BBC. “Rather than wait for them to pass, he deliberately drove at them, forcing his way through. Driving a vehicle into a crowd is an act of calculated violence. This was not a momentary lapse by Paul Doyle — it was a choice he made that day and it turned celebration into mayhem.”

Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald added in court that it was only “by sheer luck that nobody was killed because of Doyle’s reckless actions.”

“In just seven minutes his dangerous driving meant that his car collided with more than 100 people, including children, in some cases trapping people underneath and causing serious injuries,” Fitzgerald added. “What should have been a day of celebration for the city turned into a distressing and frightening experience which we know continues to have a physical and psychological impact on many people.”

Doyle initially denied the charges before changing his plea to guilty on Wednesday, the BBC reported.

Doyle is scheduled to next appear in court on Dec. 15 and 16 for his sentencing, according to The Guardian. The newspaper reported that judge Andrew Menary KC told Doyle it would be “inevitable that there will be a custodial sentence of some length.”