Paul Doyle accused of using car as weapon, court told

A former Royal Marine who is accused of "deliberately" driving his car into a crowd after Liverpool FC's trophy parade leaving 79 people injured has appeared in court.

Paul Doyle, 53, appeared at both Liverpool Magistrates' Court and Liverpool Crown Court on Friday where he faced seven charges including wounding with intent, causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, attempting to cause GBH with intent and dangerous driving.

The court heard the prosecution allege the father-of-three used his car "as a weapon" when it was driven into the crowds.

Mr Doyle, of Burghill Road in West Derby, Liverpool appeared emotional as he appeared in court for the first time, speaking quietly only to confirm his date of birth and age. No family or friends were present in either court rooms.

Philip Astbury, prosecuting, said: "This defendant, it is the prosecution's case, drove deliberately in that car at people amongst that crowd as they tried to leave the area.

"Six charges of assault reflect the most seriously injured of those who were struck by the vehicle. The first count of dangerous driving reflects the manner of driving before and up until the point he used his vehicle deliberately as a weapon to injure those individuals."

Mr Doyle faces charges relating to six victims, including two children aged 11 and 17, after a total of 79 people were injured in the city centre on Monday evening.

The father-of-three of Burghill Road in West Derby, Liverpool was escorted into the dock at Liverpool Magistrates Court wearing a black suit, grey tie and white shirt.

His case was then fast-tracked to Liverpool Crown Court, where more serious offences are dealt with.

Mr Doyle was not asked to respond to the charges at the hearing.

He sat with his head down as the charges were read to him, and was told he would next appear on 14 August for a plea hearing.

Judge Andrew Menary KC said that reporting restrictions, introduced when Mr Doyle appeared before magistrates earlier, would remain in place.

Those restrictions prohibit the identification of the six victims named in the charges so far from being published.

Philip Astbury, prosecuting, told Judge Menary: "This is an ongoing investigation and there are a great deal of witnesses to be interviewed and footage to be reviewed."

The court heard that the dangerous driving charge included Mr Doyle's home street of Burghill Road and Water Street, as well as unnamed roads in between.

Damian Nolan, defending, said there would be no application for bail at the hearing.

Judge Menary set a provisional trial date for 24 November, with an estimated length of three to four weeks.

Mr Doyle stood with his hands clasped and nodded as he was remanded in custody.

Hundreds of thousands of jubilant Liverpool fans packed the city centre on Bank Holiday Monday and lined the 10-mile (16km) parade route as Liverpool FC celebrated winning their second Premier League crown and 20th top-flight league title.

Reports of a car colliding with pedestrians along Water Street, just off the parade route, were first received by police at about 18:00 on Monday.

Ambulances arrived to take people to hospital, with a nine-year-old among the youngest victims of the incident.

A pram carrying a baby boy was spun metres down the street when it was struck, but the child was not hurt.

A fundraising campaign set up for those affected by the incident has raised more than £30,000, including a £10,000 donation from ex-player Jamie Carragher's charity foundation.

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