In a matter of minutes, Paul Doyle transformed what should have been a celebratory day into one filled with chaos and terror. This abrupt change of events unfolded as he drove through a throng of Liverpool Football Club fans who had gathered to celebrate their team’s Premier League victory parade last May.

The 54-year-old IT specialist was scheduled to face trial on Wednesday, accused of using his vehicle as a weapon. However, the courtroom took a startling turn when Doyle altered his initial pleas, admitting to driving dangerously and causing injuries to 29 individuals in the process.

Among those hurt were eight children, including two infant boys just six and seven months old, as well as a 77-year-old woman, all victims of a seven-minute episode of reckless driving that occurred on May 26.

Prior to the trial, there was much speculation about Doyle’s defense strategy. Reports suggested that this former Royal Marine, who enlisted as a teenager and served with the elite 43 Commando for four years, might claim post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a contributing factor. It was thought that PTSD could have triggered his panicked and erratic actions when fans surrounded and banged on his Ford Galaxy’s windows.

“I can only think he had some sort of panic attack or PTSD,” a friend confided to the Daily Mail, hinting at the internal turmoil that may have influenced Doyle’s drastic response.

‘I can only think he had some sort of panic attack or PTSD,’ a friend told the Daily Mail.

‘He was in the military years ago. Maybe that has something to do with it.’

But after Doyle’s lawyer announced they would not be advancing any psychiatric reports as part of his defence, and in the face of damning CCTV and dashcam footage from inside his own car, which showed him swearing at fans, undertaking and jumping red lights, it became clear that he had little choice but to admit what he had done.

At the time, many who knew the married father-of-three, who doesn’t smoke or drink and who has held down several senior jobs in the IT industry, were baffled by his loss of control and tried to make sense of his behaviour.

One close friend told the Daily Mail that keen runner Doyle was not a football fan and was simply doing a good turn for his wife, Alison, 48, that day.

The teetotaller had taken her car into the city after agreeing to pick up family friends who had been watching the celebrations.

‘He was trying to get out of the parade and panicked,’ another friend explained.

‘He has had the window smashed, people were trying to get into the car, he has had his throat grabbed.

‘It is completely out of character. He is a nice lad. He has a heart of gold.’

But prosecutors were expected to argue that, rather than a singular moment of madness, Doyle’s driving had been reckless and dangerous throughout the six-mile, 25-minute journey from his £300,000 four-bed detached home, on a smart new build estate, in the suburb of Croxteth, to Water Street, where the fans were mown down just after 6pm.

Police had gathered evidence that showed Doyle becoming increasingly agitated and swearing at fans prior to the near-fatal collision, which left many fearing they were victims of a terror attack.

The parade had begun without incident in Allerton, south Liverpool, four hours earlier. The streets, with lampposts and windows adorned with flags, were a sea of red.

Ticker tape, fireworks and flares peppered the sky and supporters young and old lined the open-top bus route, desperate to catch a glimpse of their 20-title, record-breaking heroes as they journeyed with the trophy through the city.

An estimated one million people turned out and, just before 6pm the bus reached the Liver Building, the most famous building on the iconic waterfront, whose Liver birds watch over the city, and also adorn the football club’s crest.

Having squeezed several feet deep onto The Strand, the main thoroughfare in front of the River Mersey, to get the best view, it was only natural, once the bus had passed, for fans to start making their way up into the city centre to catch trains, buses and taxis home.

But moments later, those who’d chosen to head up Water Street, which was officially closed off to traffic, came face to face with a frustrated Doyle driving the other way.

‘The car just started ramming through people,’ Jack Trotter, a fan from Newtownards, Northern Ireland, said.

‘I sort of dodged middle of the bonnet, but he was able to clip my legs.

‘I’ve never had someone try and essentially kill me before. He knew fine well what he was doing. This was no accident.’

It later transpired that Doyle had tailgated an ambulance onto the street after officials removed bollards to allow paramedics access to a fan who had collapsed with a suspected heart attack.

Shaky mobile phone footage posted to social media, however, captured the Ford Galaxy travelling along Dale Street a few minutes earlier.

Although surrounded by hundreds of high-spirited fans, few paid little attention to the car until suddenly, it jerked and reversed, colliding with one.

The man retaliated, kicking at the car boot and punching the vehicle’s rear window before it reversed again, hitting him harder.

Agitated supporters could be heard saying: ‘What’re you doing?’ and, as the vehicle passed a William Hill bookmakers, one managed to open the driver’s door. Doyle, however, quickly wrenched it shut, while leaning on his horn and revving the engine.

The Ford Galaxy managed to make it a further 200m or so through the throng to adjoining Water Street.

As it followed the ambulance through the cordon, a number of fans could be seen angrily striking the vehicle.

Eye-witness videos then showed the vehicle come to a halt, before it again accelerated rapidly.

Shocking footage posted on social media showed people bouncing off the bonnet as it swerved at speed.

The car then slowed momentarily before accelerating again as dozens of fans were knocked over like skittles, with at least four trapped beneath its wheels.

‘Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car,’ Harry Rashid, who had travelled to the celebrations from Solihull, West Midlands, said.

‘He stalled for a few seconds… then the crowd that was a bit further back started rushing at him trying to smash his windows.

‘But then he put his foot down again and just ploughed through the rest of them, he just kept going.

‘It was horrible. And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.’

Daniel Eveson’s baby son, Teddy, was thrown 15ft in his pram down the road. Mr Eveson, of Telford, Shropshire, said it was a miracle the six-month-old survived.

‘I could see his pram on the floor,’ he said. ‘I saw his face crying and I knew he was ok because there wasn’t a mark on him. I don’t know how, but it (was) a blessing from above.’

He and his girlfriend were also injured.

‘At that moment I thought my life was over,’ he added. ‘I thought I’m dead, my partner is dead and my boy is dead.’

As people screamed in panic, one brave supporter jumped into the back of the automatic car and put it into ‘park’, bringing it to a halt. 

The vehicle was rushed by dozens of fans, trying to get to Doyle in the driver’s seat. Some were shouting: ‘F****** kill him!’

Police officers managed to intervene and Doyle was bundled into a nearby police van and arrested.

The collision left 134 people injured, 29 seriously, with many more traumatised by what they’d witnessed.

Within minutes, distressing video footage was posted on social media and agitators, such as Tommy Robinson, started speculating that the incident was a ‘suspected terror attack’.

In a desperate bid to prevent scenes akin to the Southport riots last summer, Merseyside Police confirmed the arrested man was white and British.

Meanwhile, Mrs Doyle, who helps run a local church Sunday school, was oblivious to what was going on. Reports suggested she only realised her husband was involved when she saw her car on the television news.

A close family friend, who works with Mrs Doyle, said she too was ‘stunned’ when she heard ‘family man’ Doyle had been arrested.

‘He doesn’t drink or smoke or anything like that,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘He is such a family man, really hard working.

‘They are such a gorgeous family.’

Pictures on the Doyle’s now deleted social media pages previously showed the couple, who have three sons under the age of 19, enjoying adventures abroad, including taking a helicopter ride in Dubai and holidaying at Disneyland.

Other photos show super-fit Doyle, who was involved with his local scout group, competing in triathlons, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and snowboarding in the French Alps.

Born in Liverpool, the illegitimate son of a betting shop counter clerk, Doyle joined the special forces aged 18 and was stationed in Arbroath, Scotland.

According to LinkedIn, on leaving the forces he returned to his home town to study for a degree in psychology and maths at Liverpool University.

From 2017 to 2023, he claims to have worked at investment firm Rathbones Group, as a group cyber security manager. The company is a leading provider of wealth management, providing services to private clients, charities and trustees.

A former colleague who worked for Doyle for a year said he was ‘very understanding and good to work for’.

More recently, he worked as acting head of cyber but also described himself as an ethical hacker.

Doyle’s social media posts also suggest he had an interest in cryptocurrency, while an account on X linked to him followed 25 profiles, including controversial influencer Andrew Tate and Nigel Farage.

Doyle had also previously been a director of his own headgear and outdoor sporting goods firms.

Widespread anger in the city in the aftermath of the parade attack forced Doyle’s family out of their home, while he himself had to be moved three times while on remand.

When interviewed by police, Doyle falsely claimed he’d panicked after seeing a man with a knife try to open his car door.

He said he had been driving slowly through the crowds when someone smashed his car window and he became terrified that he was about to be stabbed.

But exhaustive analysis of harrowing CCTV footage proved there was no knifeman and – even with four fans being trapped under his car wheels – Doyle did not stop the car.

Instead, his two-tonne vehicle was only brought to a halt by the heroic supporter who clambered into the back seat and whose actions likely prevented more fans being hurt or killed.

Over the past six months, and several court appearances, Doyle has consistently denied responsibility and all the charges levied against him.

But at 11.20am on Wednesday, he dramatically changed his pleas, just minutes before the trial was due to get underway.

Sobbing uncontrollably behind the glass-panelled dock of Court 4.1, at Liverpool Crown Court, he admitted 31 offences, including one of dangerous driving and one of affray, plus 17 counts of attempted grievous bodily harm (GBH), nine of grievous bodily harm with intent and three of wounding with intent.

The maximum sentence for the most serious charge – GBH with intent – is life imprisonment and Judge Andrew Menary KC, the Recorder of Liverpool, warned Doyle to expect a ‘custodial sentence of some length’ when he returns next month to learn his fate.