# Paul Doyle jailed for 21 years and six months after Liverpool parade car attack
A man who drove a minivan into a crowd of Liverpool football fans has been sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison after a court in the city heard how 134 people were injured, including children, during the May 26, 2025 attack. The sentence was handed down at Liverpool Crown Court on the event date, December 16, 2025.
Paul Doyle, 54, drove through thousands of supporters celebrating Liverpool FC's Premier League title victory. According to the evidence in court, he followed an ambulance through a road barrier before driving into the crowd in the city centre. A bystander eventually managed to get into the vehicle and put it in park, bringing the attack to an end.
Judge Andrew Menary described a scene of severe chaos and physical harm, telling Doyle that he had struck people head-on, knocked others onto the bonnet, driven over limbs and crushed prams. The judge said the impact on victims and witnesses was on a scale the court had never seen before. Prosecutors said the attack left 134 injured, among them several children.
The court also heard that Doyle was arrested at the scene. Prosecutor Paul Greaney told the court that Doyle said: "I've just ruined my family's life." Police quickly ruled out terrorism as a motive. Greaney said Doyle had driven into town to collect a friend who had been at the parade and then lost control after becoming frustrated by traffic and road closures.
The prosecution said dashcam footage captured him sounding his horn, swearing and shouting as he drove through the crowd. Doyle pleaded guilty to 31 counts involving dangerous driving, attempted or actual grievous bodily harm and intentional wounding. The judge's sentence reflected the severity of the injuries and the number of victims involved.
The case drew attention because the attack resembled vehicle-ramming assaults seen elsewhere in Europe, but investigators said the facts did not support a terrorism charge. Defence lawyer Simon Csoka told the court that Doyle was horrified, ashamed and remorseful, while also noting past difficulties in his life after leaving the Marines. The evidence also referred to a previous violent conviction and to personal and financial problems mentioned in reporting around the case.
For Liverpool, the sentencing closes one stage of a case that has shadowed what should have been a day of sporting celebration. The parade was meant to mark a league title. Instead, the court record now shows a fast-moving public attack that left dozens physically hurt and many more shaken by the panic, noise and confusion in the city centre.
