Liverpool parade accused faces 24 new charges
A man accused of deliberately driving into a crowd of supporters at Liverpool's Premier League victory parade has faced 24 new charges, including the attempted grievous bodily harm of two babies.
Paul Doyle, 53, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court, where he was required to confirm his identity after initially refusing to state his name. He had been due to enter pleas to seven initial charges he faced in May over the incident, but the court heard that prosecutors had added 24 new counts to the indictment.
Mr Doyle, of West Derby in Liverpool, was not required to enter any pleas after his barrister, Simon Csoka KC, asked for more time to consider the new charges.
Remand Hearing ⚖️
On the evening of 26 May, a Ford Galaxy car was driven into a crowd on Water Street in Liverpool city centre, injuring more than a dozen people.
The court heard that 23 of the new charges relate to injuries, while one is a count of affray. Five of the victims were children, aged between six months and 17 years old. The new charges include 17 counts of attempted grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent and five counts of causing GBH with intent.
Mr Csoka told the court his client was only made aware of the details of the new charges shortly before the hearing and had not had an opportunity to read new witness statements. He added that an application for Mr Doyle to have a laptop while on remand to access CCTV and other electronic evidence had yet to be decided, two months after it was made.
A number of family members of those injured in the incident watched the proceedings from the public gallery. Mr Doyle, who wore a plain grey T-shirt and sat at a desk with glasses and notepads, wiped his eyes during the hearing.
Judge Andrew Menary KC told Mr Csoka he was prepared to give the defence more time. “These are serious matters and they are not straightforward, and there are practical difficulties for the defendant in preparing his case,” he said.
The hearing was adjourned until 4 September.
Prosecution Case
Prosecutors said their case was that Mr Doyle, of Burghill Road in West Derby, had used the car “as a weapon.”
“Mr Doyle drove the car intentionally at people among the crowd when they attempted to leave the area,” junior counsel Philip Astbury said at the hearing. He stated that the most serious charges “reflect the most critically wounded of those who were struck by the car.”
The original charges included one count of dangerous driving, four counts of causing GBH with intent, and one count of attempted GBH.
