More than 21 Years in Prison for the Driver Who Plowed into the Crowd in Liverpool

A British motorist who injured over 130 people by driving into a crowd of supporters during the Liverpool FC victory parade in May was sentenced on Tuesday to 21 years and six months in prison.

Paul Doyle, 54, was driving his car to pick up a friend attending the celebration of the "Reds" winning the English championship on May 26 when he drove behind an ambulance and became trapped by fans.

"You lost your temper in a fit of rage, determined to force your way through the crowd at any cost," said the judge of the Liverpool Crown Court. He added that Doyle had "used your vehicle as an extremely dangerous weapon."

Footage from surveillance cameras and a camera in his car showed the fury with which Paul Doyle drove, yelling and cursing at pedestrians before charging at them.

"What should have been a day of collective celebration instead left a lasting imprint of fear and injury in this entire community," Judge Andrew Menary stated.

"Your actions caused horror and devastation on a scale that this court has never encountered before," he continued.

Dressed in a black suit, the former military man and cybersecurity employee, who is a father of two, sobbed throughout the morning before his sentencing.

Arrested at the scene and taken into custody on the day of the parade, he told police, "I just ruined my family's life."

This man had initially pleaded not guilty and maintained this stance for several months until an unexpected turnaround at the start of his trial in late November.

He did not provide an explanation for his actions, for which the terrorist angle had been ruled out early on, and admitted to 31 charges against him, including attempted serious bodily harm. This automatically ended his trial.

Doyle's reckless driving in downtown Liverpool, where hundreds of thousands of supporters had gathered to cheer on the club's players parading in an open-top bus, lasted less than ten minutes.

In total, 134 people were injured, with about fifty hospitalized, according to police. Some footage showed individuals thrown against the hood of the car, while others were seen falling under the vehicle amidst screams of horror.

The youngest victim was a six-month-old baby, who was thrown from her stroller but miraculously came out without serious injury.

"It is only by luck that no one was killed," emphasized Inspector John Fitzgerald.

A former soldier, Daniel Barr, managed to get into the car and shift the automatic transmission into park, helping to immobilize Doyle.

"His actions that day were exceptionally brave, at a time when many were rightly fearing for their own safety," the judge noted.

Prosecutor Paul Greaney revealed on Tuesday that Mr. Doyle had been convicted of several violent offenses between the ages of 19 and 22. However, he had then taken a path towards a "positive and productive" life, studying, working, and starting a family.