Driver charged after Liverpool football parade tragedy injured 79
A driver who injured nearly 80 people when his car ploughed into a crowd of football fans in central Liverpool who were celebrating their team's Premier League win has been charged with intentionally causing grievous bodily harm and six other serious counts, a prosecutor has said.
Paul Doyle, 53, was also charged with dangerous driving and five other counts alleging different variations of causing grievous bodily harm, Prosecutor Sarah Hammond said.
Police said 79 people were injured in the attack, with at least 50 treated at hospitals. They ranged in age from nine to 78.
Seven people remain in hospital in a stable condition.
The charges did not indicate how many victims the counts were tied to and Hammond and Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims of Merseyside Police did not take questions in a brief news conference in Liverpool.
"I fully understand how this incident has left us all shocked and saddened and I know many will continue to have concerns and questions," Sims said.
"Our detectives are working tirelessly, with diligence and professionalism to seek the answer to all of those questions."
The city had been celebrating Liverpool's record-tying 20th title when the driver turned down a street full of fans and joy quickly turned to tragedy.
Police said they believed Doyle dodged a road block by tailing an ambulance responding to a report of a person in cardiac arrest.
Eyewitness video showed scenes of horror as the car struck and tossed a person in the air who was draped in a Liverpool flag and then swerved into a sea of people packed on the side of the road.
Merseyside Police said the driver was believed to have acted alone and they did not suspect terrorism.
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Euronews
02-06-2025
- Euronews
How the Liverpool car-ramming sparked the spread of misinformation
A week after a car ploughed into crowds during a Liverpool FC victory parade, turning scenes of joy into horror, UK police have named the suspect as Paul Doyle. Doyle, who comes from the Liverpool area, has been charged with intentionally causing grievous bodily harm and six other serious counts. Almost 80 people – aged between nine and 78 – were injured in the incident last Monday, with at least 50 of them treated in hospitals. The city had been celebrating Liverpool's 20th Premier League title when the driver ploughed into fans. Police believe he had tailed an ambulance in order to pass road blocks onto Water Street, which was closed for the victory parade. Merseyside Police swiftly disclosed the suspect's nationality and ethnicity hours after the attack, describing him as a 53-year-old white, British man from the Liverpool area. Shortly afterwards, they ruled out terrorism as the motive of the attack and said they believed the man acted alone. Experts praised the police's intervention to quickly fill the "information void." An attack in the English town of Southport last July – in which a 17-year-old murdered three young girls – triggered the wild spread of disinformation about the suspect's identity, culminating in violent street riots. Experts say police acted swiftly last week amid the Liverpool car ramming incident in a bid to stamp out speculation and avoid any unrest. Yet, despite the police's swift action, speculation and false claims about the suspect still spread rapidly on social media in the hours after the crash. Social media posts shared later on Monday evening, after police revealed a 53-year-old had been detained, claim to show a screenshot of the "real" driver of the Ford Galaxy car that had rammed into the crowd. A post shared at 21:46 local time on Monday reads: "The initial reports said he was 53 years old and white. Those reports appear to be wrong. This is the driver from the van. Young, and definitely not white. Coverup already running." The same claim was replicated in posts across X, Facebook and Instagram, falsely claiming the police were hiding the real identity of the driver. The claim is false and Merseyside police have confirmed to Euroverify that the man in the photo isn't the suspect. Several posts relaying the false claim remain on X, the Elon Musk-owned social media platform, without any Community Notes to alert users that the information is untrue. We traced the screenshot of the man to a TikTok video shared from the Liverpool parade earlier that same evening. The man can be seen joking around, entering the police car and wearing a policeman's hat. TikTok users point out in the comments on the video that he's being falsely signalled as the driver in other social media posts. According to Euroverify's analysis, this TikTok video was taken on a location on James Street in Liverpool city centre, which was closed for the Liverpool FC parade, according to information provided by the club, suggesting it was taken during the celebrations on 26 May. Another video shared widely online shows a man struggling with police on the ground at the scene of the incident. This man is falsely described as the "53-year-old white, British man" detained by police, with social media users claiming he was not the driver of the vehicle. "Apparently the guy on the floor is the 53-year-old white man who was also arrested, NOT the driver!" one Facebook post claims. We identified the location of the scene as Water Street in Liverpool's city centre, where the crash happened. The images are consistent with corroborated images of the scene of the crash. But the claim is false: Merseyside Police confirmed to Reuters that the man pictured in this video is not the suspect detained. Euroverify detected further uncorroborated claims about the suspect, including several posts alleging he is a member of the UK police force and that a cover up is underway to conceal his identity. The suspect has since been identified as a former Royal Marine, who is a father of three and a local businessman. The UK is about to see the biggest increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War as it seeks to send 'a message to Moscow,' the British defence secretary John Healey said on Sunday. Healey said plans for defence spending will be enough to transform the country's military, though he said he does not expect the number of soldiers – currently at a historic low – to rise until the early 2030s. The British government aims for defence spending to hit 2.5% of the country's national income by 2027 – with Healey saying plans are still on track to reach this target. There is 'no doubt' this figure will hit 3% by the 2030s, Healey believes. Westminster will on Monday respond to a strategic defence review overseen by Healey and former NATO secretary general George Robertson. This review is expected to be the most consequential since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and make a series of recommendations advising the UK on how it can deal with emerging threats both on the military front and in the cyberspace. It will reportedly commit £1.5 billion (€1.78 billion) to build six new factories to make munitions to revive the UK's industrial base. Russia's ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine highlighted deficiencies in the West's ability to procure weapons – with UK military officers warning about the nation's low amount of munitions.
France 24
30-05-2025
- France 24
UK man in court after Liverpool parade crash
Paul Doyle faces seven counts, including dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm with intent during Monday's incident, which marred the northwestern English city's huge celebrations. The 53-year-old was not required to enter a plea during a brief appearance at Liverpool Crown Court, where the judge set a provisional trial date for November 24. Doyle, a father-of-three, was remanded in custody ahead of a hearing on August 14, when he is expected to either admit or deny the alleged offences. Earlier, he confirmed his name, date of birth and address during a short appearance at Liverpool Magistrates' Court. Doyle, wearing a black suit, white shirt and grey tie, held back tears after being brought into the court from the cells. A total of 79 people aged between nine and 78 were injured when a dark Ford Galaxy ploughed into Liverpool supporters as they celebrated their club's record-equalling 20th English top-flight title. There were no fatalities. Prosecutor Philip Astbury told the court: "This is very much an ongoing investigation. There are many witnesses to be interviewed and a great deal of CCTV to be analysed." Seven people remained in hospital, Merseyside Police assistant chief constable Jenny Sims told reporters on Thursday. Sarah Hammond of the Crown Prosecution Service said the agency had authorised police to charge Doyle following a "complex and ongoing investigation". "This includes multiple pieces of video footage and numerous witness statements. It is important to ensure every victim gets the justice they deserve," Hammond said. UK media have reported that Doyle, who lives in a suburb of Liverpool, is a businessman and former marine, with three teenage children. Hammond said all charges "will be kept under review as the investigation progresses". Family man Hundreds of thousands of Reds fans had gathered in Liverpool city centre for the long parade led by the club's top players when scenes of joy turned to horror. Images on social media showed the car ploughing through a crowd, running over people and 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 car was seen being halted and swarmed by angry fans, who smashed the back windows as police sought to hold them back. UK media reported that Doyle had been married for 20 years and now worked in cybersecurity. Images on social networks showed him on holiday with his family in places such as Japan, India and Fiji. Police quickly ruled out terrorism, as well as swiftly revealing the suspect was a white British man, in a rare move to quell misinformation online. Almost a year ago, Liverpool and north England saw the worst riots in decades after false rumours spread that the attacker who stabbed three girls to death in nearby Southport was a Muslim immigrant. © 2025 AFP
France 24
30-05-2025
- France 24
Man City chief urges club to stay patient over charges decision
City were referred to an independent commission in February 2023 over the charges, which the club strongly deny. The case was heard between September and December last year but no decision has yet been announced. City could face a points deduction, a heavy fine or even relegation from the Premier League if they are found guilty. "Well, I suppose the only thing I can say is we still don't have a ruling," Khaldoon said this week. "Once there's a ruling, I'll be able to speak about it. Until then we just have to be patient, and it'll come, and we will talk about it, I promise you, once we have the ruling." The investigation, which resulted in more than 100 charges being made against City, started back in 2018. City were charged with failing to report accurate financial information for nine seasons stretching from 2009-10 to 2017-18, as well as failing to provide full details of former manager Roberto Mancini's pay between 2009-10 and 2012-13. They are also charged with failing to provide full details of remuneration in contracts with players between 2010-11 and 2015-16, and with failing to co-operate with the investigation over a period from 2018 to 2023. The club said at the time the charges were laid that they welcomed the opportunity for a commission "to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of our position". City won the Champions League at the end of the season the charges were laid, securing themselves a place in FIFA's expanded 32-team Club World Cup which starts next month. World players' union FIFPRO has criticised the scheduling of the competition amid player welfare concerns and, along with Europe's domestic leagues organisation, has filed legal complaints against FIFA over a lack of consultation around the international match calendar. Despite that, Khaldoon insists the club are taking the competition seriously and treating it as the official start of next season rather than an extension of the current one. "This is a very, very serious competition. In the summer, the whole world will be watching this," he said. "A big number of the top teams in the world will be competing in this tournament and I can assure you, we're going to give it our best shot."
