A man accused of driving a car into crowds at Liverpool FC’s victory parade broke down in tears ahead of the start of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Paul Doyle, 54, appeared emotional as he denied four amended charges relating to the crash in Liverpool city centre in May.
Wearing glasses and a black suit, he then placed his head in his hands and cried as potential jurors were brought into a packed courtroom ahead of jury selection for the trial.
Doyle is charged with a total of 17 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, nine counts of causing GBH with intent, three counts of wounding with intent, affray and dangerous driving. He denies all the charges.
Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC told seven men and five women sworn in as jurors that the trial was on events connected to Doyle’s “alleged conduct at the Liverpool FC parade”.
He said: “The incident, as you may already be aware from general public knowledge, occurred in a busy city centre setting and has been the subject of public attention.”
He told the jurors that their decisions must be based solely on the evidence put before them in the court, and warned them against carrying out their own research. “Don’t let your inquisitiveness get the better of you,” he added.
The jurors were sent home shortly before midday, and were told the case would resume with the prosecution expected to open the case on Wednesday morning.
Merseyside Police said 134 people were reported injured after a Ford Galaxy Titanium collided with crowds as they were leaving the Premier League title-winning parade, which featured an open-top bus with the club’s players and attracted one million people.
The crash took place on Water Street just after 6pm on 26 May.
Doyle is charged with a total of 31 offences relating to the incident. Before the jury was sworn in on Tuesday, he was rearraigned on four counts that were amended to reflect medical evidence. He entered not guilty pleas to all four.
The charges relate to 29 victims, aged between six months and 77 years old.
