The man who drove a car into a crowd at the Liverpool FC victory parade has appeared in court to face seven charges including wounding and causing grievous bodily harm.
Paul Doyle, 53, looked emotional as he entered the courtroom at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning to face charges relating to Sunday's incident.
Wearing a black suit, white shirt and grey tie, the former Royal Marine looked around at the dozens of reporters packing the courtroom as he was brought in from the cells, his face crumpling slightly as he held back tears.
Prosecutor said he is accused of two counts of wounding with intent, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of dangerous driving. A wounding charge and an attempted grievous bodily harm charge relate to a child.
District Judge Paul Healey asked the defendant to identify himself. In a croaky voice, Doyle confirmed his name, gave his date of birth and address in Liverpool.
He later appeared at Liverpool Crown Court, where Judge Andrew Menary fixed a provisional trial date for November 24 and said the case was expected to last three to four weeks. Doyle he was remanded in custody ahead of a plea hearing on August 14.
Philip Astbury, prosecuting, told the court: “This is very much an continuing investigation. There are many witnesses to be interviewed and a great deal of CCTV to be analysed.”
Celebrations in Liverpool turned to chaos on Monday as a car rammed into a packed crowd gathered to mark the city’s Premier League title victory
Police previously said they believed the car that struck pedestrians was able to follow an ambulance crew attending to someone suffering a heart attack after a roadblock was temporarily lifted.
Police confirmed the ages of those injured in the incident ranged from 9 to 78, and all 79 are British. The CPS said the charges would be kept "under review as the investigation progresses".
Sarah Hammond, chief crown prosecutor for Mersey-Cheshire, said the investigation was at an early stage.
"Prosecutors and police are continuing to work at pace to review a huge volume of evidence,” she said.
“This includes multiple pieces of video footage and numerous witness statements. It is important to ensure every victim gets the justice they deserve."
Assistant chief constable of Merseyside Police, Jenny Sims, said that seven people remained in hospital.
"I fully understand how this incident has left us all shocked and saddened, and I know many will continue to have concerns and questions,” she told journalists.
"Our detectives are working tirelessly, with diligence and professionalism, to seek the answer to all of those questions. When we are able to, we will provide further information."
