A former Royal Marine accused of driving a vehicle into crowds of fans at Liverpool’s victory parade is set to appear in court today.
Paul Doyle, 53 and of the West Derby area of Liverpool, is accused of seven offences following the incident on Water Street in the city centre on Monday, which resulted in 79 people suffering injuries.
On Thursday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed he is charged with 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. Police confirmed the ages of those injured in the incident ranged from nine to 78 and all 79 are British.
Doyle is due to appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
The CPS added that the charges would be kept “under review as the investigation progresses”.
In a statement issued to reporters on Thursday, chief crown prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire, Sarah Hammond, said: “The investigation is at an early stage.
“Prosecutors and police are continuing to work at pace to review a huge volume of evidence.
“This includes multiple pieces of video footage and numerous witness statements.
“It is important to ensure every victim gets the justice they deserve.”
She added: “We know Monday’s shocking scenes reverberated around the city of Liverpool, and the entire country, on what should have been a day of celebration for hundreds of thousands of Liverpool FC supporters. Our thoughts remain with all those affected.
“Criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and he has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information or media online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.
“Please allow the legal process to take its course without undue speculation.”
At the press conference, assistant chief constable of Merseyside Police, Jenny Sims, added: “I fully understand how this incident has left us all shocked and saddened, and I know many will continue to have concerns and questions.
“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.”
Ms Sims said seven people remain in hospital.
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 road block was temporarily lifted.
