UK man Paul Doyle, 53, appears in court over Liverpool parade crash
A British man accused of driving his car into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans during this week's victory parade has appeared in court.
Paul Doyle, from the West Derby area of Liverpool, is charged with seven offences including dangerous driving and two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
The 53-year-old appeared at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on Friday morning, local time, and confirmed his name, address and date of birth before the case was briefly adjourned.
Local media outlets have reported Mr Doyle previously served in the Royal Marines and was a businessman and father of three.
Mr Doyle's charges follow shocking scenes in the city in northern England on Monday, local time, when 79 people, including children, were left injured.
At a press conference on Thursday, Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims confirmed seven people were still recovering in hospital.
She said investigators were working to "ensure every avenue is explored" and urged people not to speculate online about the case.
"We know that 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 thousand of Liverpool FC supporters."
About a million people gathered on Monday to celebrate Liverpool's Premier League win and watch an open-top bus parade the team and its staff with the trophy.
But scenes of joy soon turned to horror, with images on social media showing a car ploughing through the crowd, running over people with others bouncing off its bonnet.
Four people, including one child, were trapped under the vehicle, which had to be lifted to remove them, fire services said.
In other clips circulating online, the vehicle was seen being halted and swarmed by angry fans, who smashed the back windows as police sought to hold them back.
Police quickly ruled out terrorism, as well as releasing that the suspect was a white British man, revealing his ethnicity in a rare move to quell misinformation online.
ABC/Reuters
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