Liverpool parade crash: What happens next after Paul Doyle's guilty plea

In a dramatic courtroom u-turn, Paul Doyle broke down in tears as he pleaded guilty to all 31 charges released for driving into crowds during Liverpool FC’s victory parade, admitting to injuring more than 130 people including infants as young as six months.

At first, the 54-year-old Royal Marine from Croxeth had maintained his innocence for months, with his trial scheduled to run for four to six weeks.

But on Tuesday, November 25, when prosecutors at Liverpool Crowd Court prepared to deliver their opening statement, Doyle dramatically changed his plea to guilty.

Doyle started sobbing uncontrollably, admitting charges including dangerous driving, affray, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and wounding with intent.

The courtroom had pin drop silence. His voice was barely audible due to sobbing as he acknowledged injuring 29 victims ranging from six months to 77-year-old.

The tragic incident occurred on May 26, when hundreds of thousands of fans celebrated Liverpool’s Premier League title win.

As described by Crown Prosecution Service, dashcam footage showed Doyle becoming “increasingly agitated by the crowds" before deliberately driving his Ford Galaxy Titanium into pedestrians on Water Street around 6:00 P.M.

After hearing him, Chief Crown Prosecutor Sarah Hammond said, “This was not a momentary lapse by Paul Doyle, it was a choice he made that day and it turned celebration into mayhem.”

She called the convictions “a measure of justice for an act that caused unimaginable harm.”

The sudden guilty pleas astonished the jury, who were immediately discharged by Judge Andrew Menary KC. emotional scenes unfolded in the courtroom, with one member of the public weeping openly as eight victims watched the proceedings.

Doyle has been remanded in custody and his fate will be decided on December 15-16, with Judge Menary warning that a prison term of “some length” is inevitable for the attack that injured 134 people and traumatized a city in celebration.