Trial date fixed for man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool parade

Paul Doyle, 53, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday afternoon charged with seven offences following the incident on Water Street in the city centre on Monday which resulted in 79 people suffering injuries.
The father-of-three, of Croxteth, Liverpool, wore a black suit with white shirt and grey tie, and had a thinning quiff of hair.
He spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth during the hearing before he was remanded in custody ahead of a plea hearing on August 14.
Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary fixed a provisional trial date for November 24 and said the case was expected to last three to four weeks.
Philip Astbury, prosecuting, told the court: 'This is very much an ongoing investigation. There are many witnesses to be interviewed and a great deal of CCTV to be analysed.'
Doyle was in the dock of the crown court less than an hour after he appeared for his first appearance in the magistrates' court, which is housed in lower floors of the same building.
Judge Menary said: 'Given the genuine and not surprising public interest in this case it occurred to me it would be appropriate for the matter, on being sent to this court, to be listed before me for further directions.'
Doyle looked emotional when he was first brought into Liverpool Magistrates' Court from the cells and looked around at the dozens of reporters packing the courtroom, his face crumpling slightly as he held back tears.
At one point, Doyle shook his head as Mr Astbury was speaking.
He is accused of 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.
The charges relate to six victims, including two children aged 11 and 17.
Reporting restrictions preventing the victims from being identified were made by the judge.
According to the dangerous driving charge, Doyle drove a Ford Galaxy Titanium dangerously on roads between his home address in Burghill Road and Water Street.
Doyle made no indications of pleas after the charges were read to the court.
He stood with his hands clasped and nodded as he was remanded in custody.
On Thursday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the charges against Doyle, who is reportedly an ex-Royal Marine, would be kept 'under review as the investigation progresses'.
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.'
The ages of those injured ranges from nine to 78 and seven people remained in hospital on Thursday, police said.
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 during Liverpool FC's celebrations was temporarily lifted.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Scottish Sun

5 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Conor McGregor sports suspect eye as UFC thug dances with wife on yacht in first sighting since horror Ibiza attack

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CONOR MCGREGOR has broken cover after his 6am Ibiza nightclub punch-up. The UFC star appeared to sport a bruised eye as he soaked up the sun with fiancee Dee Devlin on Friday. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Conor McGregor appeared to sport a bruised eye as he broke cover following his Ibiza nightclub brawl Credit: BackGrid 9 The 36-year-old packed on the PDA with fiancee Dee Devlin Credit: BackGrid 9 McGregor was all smiles despite his nightclub brawl earlier in the week Credit: BackGrid 9 The UFC star is currently in the Spanish party capital of Ibiza Credit: BackGrid 9 McGregor had not been spotted since the brawl on Tuesday morning Credit: BackGrid 9 Video obtained by The Sun showed McGregor throwing two punches at another partygoer Credit: The Sun McGregor packed on the PDA with Devlin on a private yacht in the Spanish party capital. The pair were spotted dancing the afternoon away and sharing a smooch in the marina. But an apparent red mark could be seen on McGregor's face, who had not been seen following his midweek fracas. Footage obtained by The Sun showed the ex-UFC fighter, 36, striking a man in the infamous Pacha nightclub on Tuesday morning. READ MORE ON CONOR MCGREGOR SICKENING ATTACK Moment UFC thug Conor McGregor floors nightclub reveller with TWO punches The Notorious appeared to connect with two punches in the shocking incident. An eyewitness told The Sun the reveller was removed from the club while McGregor partied on. One said: "Clearly something's been said to annoy him and he's reacted very badly. 'The guy seemed to fall to the floor, and his mates came to pick him up and get him away. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK "There [didn't appear to be any] consequences for Conor, but the guy he punched was taken away and I didn't see him again." Another club-goer said: "He had his arm around someone who looked like his mate. Shocking moment UFC thug Conor McGregor pummels club reveller with TWO brutal punches in packed Ibiza nightclub "Someone came up to them and when Conor hit him, about five people fell to the floor as the guy stumbled back. "It was a bit like bowling pins, but the guy was really shaken by the hits. "About a minute later, the bouncers came and got him on the back and took him out of the club, because he had annoyed Conor. "It was right before close anyway. There was no messing around, they just removed him. "Conor left through the garden a bit later, he didn't look very happy that they got into a fight." The reveller's identity was revealed in a now-deleted Instagram post by club mogul Wayne Lineker - brother of England legend Gary. He took two punches from Conor McGregor in Pacha for absolutely no reason. Wayne Lineker McGregor had been snapped earlier in the evening at Lineker's O Beach club alongside glamour model Katie Price. He was also joined at the event by Tottenham centre-back Kevin Danso. Wayne later said he was "disappointed" with McGregor for attacking his employee and friend Joe Gomez. The 63-year-old wrote: "This is my very close friend who has worked at Ocean for eight years, he has the most special heart and in all of the years that I've known him he has never raised his voice once. "He took two punches from Conor McGregor in Pacha for absolutely no reason. "Let me introduce you to Joe Gooomez (sic). He took the punches like a champion." 9 Wayne Lineker claimed the reveller struck by McGregor was his pal Joe Gomez (right) Credit: INstagram 9 McGregor had partied at Lineker's O Beach Club ahead of the incident Credit: INSTAGRAM @waynelineker 9 McGregor also shared a snap with Katie Price in Ibiza Credit: INSTAGRAM @thenotoriousmma Lineker also deleted a snap of him partying with the MMA legend, who rocked a white hat and cigar for the occasion. He continued: "I've since deleted my post of Conor at Ocean on Sunday. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. "We at Ocean Beach Ibiza will always put our family first #wearefamily." McGregor made his UFC debut in April 2013. He quickly won over fight fans with his mix of fast hands and aggressive grappling. The Notorious has tasted victory in 22 of his 28 pro fights, but hasn't entered the octagon since a rematch loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021.

Wales Online

7 hours ago

• Wales Online

Drugs runner caught delivering £2,000-worth of cannabis to addresses around Cardiff

Drugs runner caught delivering £2,000-worth of cannabis to addresses around Cardiff Shakr Hamad, 30, was stopped twice by police after they could smell cannabis emanating from his car Shakr Hamad had been sent a list of postcodes by his dealer (Image: South Wales Police ) A drug runner who was found in possession of more than £2,000 worth of cannabis had been sent a list of postcodes by his dealer to deliver to. He was released on bail following his initial arrest but was caught delivering cannabis again almost a year later. Shakr Hamad, 30, was stopped by police driving a Ford Focus in Cardiff on April 10 last year after they could smell cannabis emanating from his car. He also appeared to be under the influence and tested positive for cannabis. ‌ A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard a carrier bag was found and when searched it was found to contain eight zip lock bags containing cannabis, worth up to £400 in total. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter. ‌ Also found in the car was £440 in cash and an iPhone which revealed the defendant had been sent a number of postcodes in quick succession. Prosecutor Sol Hartley said Hamad was working as a drugs runner for an organised crime group who was directed to deliver cannabis to various addresses in Cardiff. The defendant was released on bail but on March 15 this year he was stopped by police in Llansannor Way, Butetown, after he was seen interacting with a man from inside his BMW. Article continues below The vehicle was searched and a black rucksack was found to contain 30 snap bags of cannabis worth up to £1,700, £525 in cash and a knuckleduster. His phone was seized and Hamad was found to be a member of a Whats App group with several other people who were working as drugs runners. During his police interview, the defendant became agitated and began punching himself in the head. ‌ Hamad, of Rhymney Street, Cathays, later pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class B drugs, possession of criminal property, possession of an offensive weapon and driving whilst disqualified. The court heard he has one previous conviction for motoring offences, for which he was disqualified from driving. In mitigation, Harry Baker said his client had made an asylum application to remain in the UK, which had been unsuccessful, but he has since made another application. Article continues below Judge Paul Hobson sentenced Hamad to 18 months imprisonment and disqualified him from driving for 18 months. The judge told the defendant steps may be taken to deport him, but this decision would be made by the Home Office.

South Wales Guardian

9 hours ago

• South Wales Guardian

Fraudulent City boss ordered to pay back £64 million

Anthony Constantinou remains on the run after he fled the UK during his fraud trial at London's Southwark Crown Court in June 2023. Hundreds of investors were duped out of a total of £70 million between 2013 and 2015 while he ran Capital World Markets (CWM). A spokesman for City of London Police said a confiscation order was made against him on Thursday for the sum of £64 million, which is payable within three months. The default period of imprisonment was set at 14 years. Police released photographs of some of the luxury vehicles Constantinou spent his fraudulent money on, including a Porsche, Range Rover and luxury motorbike. They previously said he was thought to be in Turkey or Dubai after being stopped in Bulgaria with a fake Spanish passport. CWM had high-profile sponsorship deals with the Honda Moto GP, Chelsea Football Club, Wigan Warriors rugby league club, Cyclone Boxing Promotions and the London Boat Show. The seven-week trial heard how Constantinou spent £2.5 million of investors' money on his 'no expense spared' wedding on the Greek island of Santorini in September 2014, while his son's first birthday party a few days earlier cost more than £70,000. More than £470,000 was paid for private jet hire to fly him and his associates to Moto GP races across Europe as well as a return flight to Nice for a 150,000-euro five-day yacht cruise around the Mediterranean to Monaco. The firm paid £200,000 a quarter to rent 'plush' offices in the City's Heron Tower, while nearly £600,000 was spent on just six months' rent of his large home in Hampstead, north-west London, where his luxury cars were parked in the drive. Promised returns of 60% per year on risk-free foreign exchange (FX) markets, a total of 312 investors trusted their money to CWM. Some were professionals but most were individuals who handed over their life savings or pension pots, with a large number of Gurkhas paying into the scheme, said prosecutor David Durose KC. Constantinou denied wrongdoing but was found guilty of one count of fraud, two counts of fraudulent trading and four counts of money laundering and sentenced to 14 years in prison in his absence. Adrian Foster, of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: 'This was a callous scam targeting members of the public. Many people lost their hard-earned money because of Constantinou's greed and false promises in this fake investment scheme. 'We continue to pursue the proceeds of crime robustly with the City of London Police, where we identify available assets to disrupt and deter large-scale frauds like this case. 'In the last five years, over £478 million has been recovered from CPS obtained confiscation orders, ensuring that thousands of convicted criminals cannot profit from their offending. £95 million of that amount has been returned to victims of crime, by way of compensation.' Constantinou was previously jailed for a year at the Old Bailey in 2016 after being found guilty of sexually assaulting two women during after-work drinks. One of the victims described how the parties were just like the raucous scenes depicted in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf Of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as rogue New York trader Jordan Belfort.