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 a car into a crowd of people celebrating at a parade in Liverpool, England, on Monday, May 26, a U.K. court has reportedly heard
A total of 79 people were injured in the incident, Merseyside Police have confirmed
Suspect Paul Doyle, 53, is facing multiple charges, including dangerous driving and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, authorities have saidA 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."
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.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
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.
Read the original article on People
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why Manchester United are confident of signing Bryan Mbeumo as attacking overhaul continues
Manchester United are interested in signing Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo and are confident he wants to move to Old Trafford. Ruben Amorim wants to make the 25-year-old his second summer signing, with Matheus Cunha set to complete a £62.5m move from Wolves when he returns from international duty with Brazil. Advertisement United are yet to agree a fee with Brentford for Mbeumo, who has attracted attention from Newcastle and could be valued at around £60m. But Amorim has targeted the Cameroon international as he looks to add goals to a United side who only scored 44 times in the Premier League last season. Cunha got 15 top-flight goals for Wolves while Mbeumo got a career-best tally of 20 for Brentford – a total only topped by Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Alexander Isak – last season, as well as seven assists. A 2019 signing from Troyes, Mbeumo has scored 70 goals in 242 games for Brentford but is out of contract in 2026 and the Bees risk losing him on a free transfer if they do not sell him this summer. Advertisement United were also interested in Liam Delap as part of their attacking overhaul but the England Under-21 striker is set to join Chelsea instead. United hope to fund some of their summer spending by selling unwanted players but Marcus Rashford, who is a target for Barcelona, is less likely to go to Aston Villa after they failed to qualify for the Champions League. Unai Emery had a £40m option to buy the Mancunian. Meanwhile, Chelsea may not take up their £25m option to purchase Jadon Sancho after his loan spell at Stamford Bridge.
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Starmer says no independence referendum while he is PM
Keir Starmer has said he cannot imagine another Scottish independence referendum taking place during his time as prime minister. The Labour leader insisted it was more important to focus on the economy than the constitution, in remarks described as "a bit arrogant" by the SNP. Scotland's first minister John Swinney recently said he wanted to achieve "demonstrable support" for independence. But Starmer - who visited Scotland ahead of Thursday's Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election - said "nobody's raising that with me as their first priority". Who can I vote for in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election? Parties jockey for power in Hamilton by-election In an interview broadcast on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, the prime minister said an SNP victory at next year's Holyrood elections would not change his mind. "I think it's really important to focus on the priorities that matter most," he said. "We got a big election win last year on the basis that we would stabilise the economy and ensure that on that foundation we built a stronger Scotland in a stronger United Kingdom and that's what I intend to do." Starmer told the programme his recent talks with John Swinney had not focused on independence. He said: "Nobody's raising that with me as their first priority, certainly in the discussions I'm having with the first minister. "We're talking about jobs, energy, security and dealing with the cost of living crisis." However SNP MP Stephen Gethins told Good Morning Scotland the prime minister's remarks were disappointing to hear. He said: "It's a bit disappointing and maybe a little bit arrogant of the prime minister to think he can speak for everyone. This shouldn't be an issue that's decided by one person, this should be a matter for the people of Scotland." Gethins added: "There is a significant question for pro-union politicians like Keir Starmer which is, what is the test for an independence referendum? You can't just keep on saying no." Last month, the first minister talked about securing "demonstrable support" for breaking up the United Kingdom. Swinney compared this to the 1997 referendum for a Scottish parliament, which was backed by around 74% of Scots. But the SNP leader also told BBC Scotland News that it was "completely unacceptable" for the independence movement "to be thwarted by a Westminster government that just folds its arms and says 'no'." Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes accused Starmer of "ignoring the issues that people in Scotland care about". She said it was her government's job to show Scots "why they don't need to be content with the revolving door of a Labour and a Tory and perhaps even a Reform prime minister". The SNP MSP added: "It's Keir Starmer that's opened the door to Nigel Farage by completely disappointing everybody who voted for change." Former Conservative minister Michael Gove has said there could be a second Scottish independence referendum if the public show "overwhelming support" for one. Gove, who sat in the cabinet for most of the period between 2010 and 2024, said he didn't think another referendum was necessary. However, he conceded that the UK government may have to change approach if SNP popularity and support for another vote grows. Gove was part of a government that rejected requests from the Scottish government for a second referendum. He denied that this was anti-democratic and insisted that Scotland had "more important" issues to deal with. Gove now suggests that the likelihood of a second independence vote was linked to the SNP's ability to improve public services. "If, for the sake of argument, the SNP make all of those decisions in government in a way that gives people confidence in them then we might be in a different position [on a second referendum]," he said. Independence has slipped down the political agenda since the UK Supreme Court ruled that any new referendum would need to be agreed by the UK government. There was also the heavy defeat of the SNP by Labour at last year's UK general election. That doesn't mean the issue has gone away entirely. Support for independence remains relatively strong in opinion polls even if it is not the most pressing issue for most voters. In his first period in office, John Swinney has decided to concentrate on trying to deliver improvements in public services and reducing child poverty. If he can show genuine progress by the Holyrood election next year, he hopes that will rebuild trust with Scottish voters and sustain him in power. He wants to build support for independence over time until the case for another referendum becomes difficult for any UK government to resist. Expect the SNP to talk up Scotland's prospects as an independent country as the Holyrood vote draws nearer and for their pro-union rivals to argue that staying part of the UK is a better option in an unstable world. Gove 'in agreement' with Swinney over second independence referendum
San Francisco Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Goalie Flekken leaves Brentford for Bayer Leverkusen in pursuit of Champions League glory
LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen completed the signing of goalkeeper Mark Flekken from Brentford on Tuesday. The Netherlands international signed a three-year deal until June 30, 2028, for an undisclosed fee. 'Mark Flekken possesses a wide range of skills that a goalkeeper in modern top-flight football needs," Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said. "He has strong reflexes, good control of the penalty area, and, thanks to his height of 1.95 meters, has tremendous reach. "Mark exudes an impressive physical presence; from a footballing perspective, he has certainly been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League over the past two years.' The 31-year-old Flekken spent two years at Brentford, making 77 appearances for the Premier League club. 'We were expecting Mark to be our goalkeeper for many more years, however when Bayer Leverkusen made it known that they wanted to do this transfer, and Mark made it clear that he was interested in moving closer to home and with a possibility of Champions League football, we turned our attention towards how all parties could make this happen," Brentford director of football Phil Giles said. Flekken previously played in Germany with Duisburg and Freiburg, but has the chance to compete for the biggest titles with the 2024 Bundesliga champion, which has just hired former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag as its new coach. 'To be able to contribute my qualities to a top German club with ambitious national and European goals now makes me very happy," Flekken said. "I love the Bundesliga and, of course, I'm also looking forward to challenging for the Champions League with the Werkself.'
