A man has pleaded not guilty to 31 charges, including dangerous driving and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, after a car was driven into a crowd of people in Liverpool in May.
Paul Doyle, 53, was arrested on 29 May after driving through a crowd of Liverpool football club supporters during the team’s Premier League trophy parade in the city centre on the evening of 26 May.
Doyle was initially charged with seven offences at the time of his arrest, but was charged with an additional 24 in August after appearing in Liverpool crown court via a video link.
The incident is reported to have occurred after Doyle allegedly followed an ambulance down a road off-limits to cars during the parade. His grey Ford Galaxy could allegedly be observed on CCTV being surrounded by fans before accelerating, running over and hitting many, and then coming to a stop. Police pushed back fans trying to remove him from the car before arresting him.
The incident left 134 people with injuries and more than 50 requiring hospitalisation, four of whom were children.
In the immediate aftermath of the incident police released details of Doyle’s ethnicity, a decision that some said could lead to difficulties for forces in the future.
