Matt Spivey
Live editor

Image source, Julia Quenzler/PA Media

It was supposed to be a celebration for the city of Liverpool, but it ended in tragedy.

Paul Doyle drove his car into crowds of people at Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade on 26 May 2025 - here's the moment he was arrested.

More than 130 people were injured, over the last two days we've heard their often harrowing impact statements at Liverpool Crown Court.

Handing down Doyle's sentence of 21 years and six months, Judge Andrew Menary KC says Doyle "drove over limbs and crushed prams" and "intended to hurt anyone who got in your way - even children".

The judge also acknowledged Doyle's previous convictions, including "biting off a sailor's ear" as a young man, but said they would not increase his sentence because he had "turned his life around" and not reoffended for 32 years until the Liverpool attack.

Dan Barr, 41, jumped into Doyle's car to bring it to a stop as it careered through the crowd. He has been branded a hero and commended by the judge for likely "saving lives".

Speaking to the BBC, Barr said he "isn't a hero", but added "I'm not the same since that day."

We're now bringing our live coverage to a close - thank you for joining us.

You can keep up to date in our news story.

We also have more on this story across the BBC:

• Man who stopped Paul Doyle says he 'isn't a hero'
• Watch: Moment Liverpool parade attacker told police 'my life is ruined'
• Watch: Doyle lost temper in a rage, sentencing judge says

Matt Spivey
Live editor

Here's how day two of Paul Doyle's sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court unfolded:

• More victim impact statements were read out, including one woman who said her son "saw me underneath the car - he thought I was dead"

• Another statement read: "My avid Liverpool FC fan daughter has not watched a single match since" - we've recapped the statements here
• A prosecution lawyer told the court of Doyle's previous convictions, including "biting the ear off a sailor"
• He added that Doyle had a "high" level of culpability
• Doyle's defence lawyer said the father-of-three "accepts full responsibility, he expects no sympathy"
• Then came the sentencing - the judge told Doyle: "You used your vehicle as a weapon, driving into and over more than 100 people"
• Judge Menary acknowledged Doyle had "turned his life around" following his convictions and had not reoffended for 32 years until the Liverpool parade attack
• As a result, the judge said he would not add extra time onto Doyle's jail sentence
• Doyle was given a 21 years and six months prison term
• Liverpool City Region's mayor Steve Rotheram says he hopes the sentencing will hopefully bring "some measure of closure" to all those affected

Image source, CPS

Paul Doyle has been sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison.

It comes after he deliberately drove his car into a crowd of Liverpool fans during their Premier League victory parade on 26 May.

Here's what we know about him.

The 54-year-old is married to a teacher, Alison, and they have three sons.

Formerly a Royal Marines Commando, he later became a cyber security expert.

People who knew him in the Croxteth area of Liverpool say he liked running, gardening and cycling

A local resident described him as a"very good neighbour" and a "genuinely nice man" who would stop for chats.

Former work colleagues say he had no signs of an explosive temper, and to their knowledge shunned drugs and alcohol.

Nabiha Ahmed
Live reporter

Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade "will now be remembered for all the wrong reasons," says a lawyer representing some of Paul Doyle's victims.

Matthew Garson, from the Liverpool-based law firm Irwin Mitchell, says: "It still remains difficult for many in the community to understand the events that unfolded that day."

He says his firm continues to see at "first-hand, the fallout from that day", and how victims "continue to live with the physical and psychological effects".

Garson says Irwin Mitchell is working to help their clients access "the specialist help and rehab they need to try and rebuild their lives".

Nabiha Ahmed
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

Liverpool City Region's mayor says he hopes today's sentencing will bring "some measure of closure" to the victims of May's parade attack.

In a statement, Steve Rotheram says: "Nothing can undo the physical and emotional trauma that many people will continue to live with."

He reminds people that "support is available" for victims in the "months and years ahead".

He also commends the intervention of "ordinary people" to help strangers escape danger.

"Their collective response showed the very best of our region," says Rotheram.

Nabiha Ahmed
Live reporter

Liverpool FC has released a statement following Paul Doyle's sentencing.

It reads: "Liverpool FC would like to remind supporters that a variety of free resources are available for anyone affected by this incident to access to care for their mental health."

Nabiha Ahmed
Live reporter

Image source, PA Media

No prison sentence can undo Paul Doyle's actions, a senior Merseyside Police officer says.

After Doyle was jailed for 21 years and six months at Liverpool Crown Court, Det Ch Insp John Fitzgerald says: "It is difficult to comprehend the devastating impact events of that day have had and continue to have on so many people."

He says Doyle had "no regard for the safety and wellbeing of others" and chose to "act in aggressive and dangerous manner" on what should only have been a "day of celebration" in Liverpool.

"No prison sentence will be able to undo his actions on that day," Fitzgerald tells journalists.

Nabiha Ahmed
Live reporter

Before Paul Doyle was jailed for 21 years and six months, Liverpool Crown Court heard more victim impact statements this morning.

They described - often in harrowing detail - the impact on those who were injured in the 26 May 2025 attack at the Liverpool FC Premier League title victory parade and their loved ones.

• "Don’t sit in the dock and cry for yourself," 55-year-old Susan Farrell said in her statement to Doyle
• Mrs Farrell said her eldest daughter "has not watched a single match since" because "the sounds of chants are unbearable reminders"
• "What I saw that day will never leave me," said 40-year-old Paul Fitzsimons, who thought Doyle was committing a terrorist attack
• "Every waking moment I feel haunted by the incident", said one woman, who must "relive the horrific moments over and over" when her six-month-old grandson's pram was hit by Doyle's car
• "I wish I had never attended the parade or supported Liverpool," Ian Passey, 47, said. He recounted seeing his 77-year-old mum pinned under a car with her head "in a pool of blood"

• Stefan Dettlaff, 73, said his wife Hilda - who was at the parade with him - has gone "from a strong, independent, caring wife and mum to a shell of a person that sometimes I don’t recognise"
• "Physical scars are visible, but the emotional ones run deeper," said 62-year-old Robin Darke after the attack left him permanently disfigured
• The mother of an 11-year-old boy said the collision "didn’t just injure his body, it left emotional scars on our entire family"
• Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy said: "I was unable to bathe, shower or dress myself without my mum's help. My mobility was severely impaired due to the injury to my left leg... It is only now, months later, that I am beginning to regain a sense of normality"

Laura O'Neill
BBC North West

Liverpool parade attacker Paul Doyle told police he had "ruined and affected so many lives" as he was arrested following the Liverpool parade crash.

He hit more than 100 people in the space of two minutes on 26 May at Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade and was only stopped after a bystander managed to get inside Paul Doyle's automatic car and forced it into 'park' mode.

Read our full story here

Ian Shoesmith
Live page editor

Paul Doyle "lost his temper" and drove his Ford Galaxy directly into supporters making their way home from the Premier League title celebrations.

Dashcam footage from the vehicle, played in court, showed the shocking moments when fans were thrown onto the bonnet of the car or fell underneath it as he accelerated down Water Street, which had been closed to traffic, at about 18:00 BST on 26 May.

Doyle, who could be heard in the footage swearing and shouting at supporters to "move", had initially denied the 31 offences he was charged with.

But last month, moments before the prosecution was due to open at his trial, the 54-year-old father-of-three and former Royal Marine changed his pleas to admit all the charges.

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool Crown Court

The man whose instinctive act stopped the car that injured 134 fans at the Liverpool FC victory parade has insisted he was "not a hero".

Dan Barr, 41, managed to get inside the automatic Ford Galaxy and forced its gear selector into 'park' mode as driver Paul Doyle tried to accelerate further into the dense crowd of pedestrians on Liverpool's Water Street.

Mr Barr, a former solider, described the "horrendous" sight of seeing victims pleading in vain for Doyle, 54, to stop, and told the BBC: "I'm not the same since that day."

BBC Sounds

In Court is the BBC series that takes you behind the scenes to look at how major criminal cases like this one play out, with the help of expert guests who reveal the inner workings and processes of the criminal justice system.

BBC Radio Merseyside's Phil Munns and BBC North West Tonight's Mairead Smyth have been across the Paul Doyle case and have taken a look at how the trial unfolded, from the surprise of him changing his pleas on the second day of his trial to Judge Andrew Menary's sentencing remarks within the last few minutes.

Listen to the series on BBC Sounds now, external

Please be aware, this series contains distressing details. For information or support you can visit bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Ian Shoesmith
Live page editor

Paul Doyle was convicted of 31 offences at Liverpool Crown Court:

• dangerous driving
• nine counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent
• 17 counts of attempting to causing grievous bodily harm
• three counts of wounding with intent
• one count of affray

Mr Allison added: "He did not even stop when he knew there were people trapped under his car. He continued revving his engine to try and continue forward.

"His car finally came to a stop because of the actions of one man - Daniel Barr. A man who can truly be described as a hero.

"Mr Barr got into the back of Paul Doyle’s car. He did not know what he was facing when he did but knew he had to stop him.

"To do so, he put the controls of the automatic car into “park” and held onto it. Because of this action the vehicle eventually came to a stop. This no doubt prevented many more injuries, possibly even fatalities.

"The Crown Prosecution Service would like to thank Mr Barr for what he did on that day.

"We have watched a huge amount of CCTV, mobile phone and other footage to build the strongest case possible. And in the end, Mr Doyle had no choice but to plead guilty to all 31 charges he faced.

"Our thoughts of course, remain with the victims and witnesses from that day, which turned from joy and celebration to horror in just seven minutes."

Ian Shoesmith
Live page editor

James Allison, from the Crown Prosecution Service's Mersey Cheshire region's Complex Casework Unit, has given his reaction following Doyle's sentencing hearing.

He said: "In seven minutes of dangerous driving, Doyle, a middle-aged family man, used that vehicle as a weapon hitting more than 100 people, including children, babies and the elderly. When it eventually ended, he had trapped some of them underneath his vehicle.

"He not only injured many people, but he also generated horror and chaos on what was meant to be a day of celebration and joyfulness.

"The reason why he did it? The truth is as simple as it is awful, Paul Doyle lost his temper and, in a rage, drove into people, intending to cause them serious harm.

"The dashcam footage of his journey into Liverpool city centre that day, is truly shocking.

"Before he got to the city centre, he was driving aggressively, undertaking other cars and driving through red lights. As we now know, it was to get much worse."

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool Crown Court

Image source, PA Media

Paul Doyle is led out of Liverpool Crown Court to begin his prison sentence.

Judge Andrew Menary KC is commending the bravery of Daniel Barr, who sits listening in the public gallery.

He says Mr Barr's actions in stopping Doyle's car likely "saved lives".

"His conduct merits public recognition, I therefore make a High Sheriff’s award for bravery and a monetary award of £250."

The judge also commends the actions of the emergency services in conditions of “extreme confusion and distress”, as well as the work of Merseyside Police.

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool Crown Court

Paul Doyle, who deliberately drove into a crowd of people at Liverpool FC's Premier League title parade on 26 May 2025, is sentenced to a total of 21 years and six months in prison.

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool Crown Court

Judge Menary is going through the sentencing guidelines.

He said “although you are not a man of previous good character, and perhaps have always had issues with your temper”, he recognises Doyle has not committed any offences for 32 years.

He said Doyle “turned his life around” after a “troubling start” to his early adulthood.

The judge said character references refer to Doyle as a devoted husband and father, a supportive friend and someone who has led a disciplined life for years.

He said those people find his offending incomprehensible.

“I accept all of that, and I recognise the sentence I am bound to pass will have a devastating impact.. however this positive good character can only have a limited impact on sentence for offences of this gravity."

Judge Menary said the evidence was "overwhelming" and Doyle could have given an indication of his guilt much sooner.

Ian Shoesmith
Live page editor

Judge Menary acknowledges Paul Doyle "turned his life around" following his convictions aged between 18 and 22, including one which culminated in a 12-month prison sentence.

Given that he did not reoffend for 30 years until 26 May 2025, the judge decides Doyle's previous criminal record will not be reflected in the sentence handed down for the Liverpool parade attack.

Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool Crown Court

Judge Menary finishes reading through the details of each victim.

He said: "In order properly to understand this case it is important to recognise the offences were not ones of momentary recklenesss…

"The truth was... you lost your temper in a rage, determined to force your way through the crowd regardless of the consequences.

"By your pleas of guilty you admit you intended to cause serious harm to that end, even to children."