A 53-year-old British man appeared in court on Friday in Liverpool, England, charged with driving his car into a crowd celebrating Liverpool Football Club’s Premier League title.
The man, Paul Doyle, said to be a father of three and a former Royal Marine, appeared tearful as he spoke at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
Mr. Doyle has been charged with seven offenses, including dangerous driving, causing grievous bodily harm with intent (a serious assault charge used when major injuries have been caused) and “unlawful and malicious wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.”
Seventy-nine people were injured in the crash, the police said in a statement, and at least 50 required treatment in a hospital.
The local ambulance service has said that four children were among those hurt, the youngest of whom was 9.
The charges against Mr. Doyle relate to injuries suffered by six of the victims, including two children, aged 11 and 17. A judge imposed legal restrictions preventing them from being identified by the news media.
Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered on Monday to celebrate Liverpool F.C.’s winning the title in the Premier League, the top tier of English soccer. A car plowed into packed crowds on Water Street, near the end of the 10-mile victory parade, shortly after 6 p.m. local time.
A prosecutor, Philip Astbury, told the hearing in Liverpool that Mr. Doyle “drove deliberately at people among that crowd as they tried to leave the area.”
At a later hearing on Friday at Liverpool Crown Court, a judge set a provisional trial date of Nov. 24, with a hearing at which Mr. Doyle can enter a plea scheduled for Aug. 14.
The judge at the crown court ruled that Mr. Doyle would be kept in custody until that date. The BBC reported that Mr. Doyle was a former member of the British Navy’s elite Royal Marines commando unit and had three children.
Public records show him to have been the director of a small retail company that shut down in 2020.
Sarah Hammond, chief prosecutor for the region that covers Liverpool, said on Thursday that the charges against Mr. Doyle would be kept under review as the police investigation continued, meaning more could be filed or existing ones amended.
She added that the investigation was at an early stage, with prosecutors and the police still reviewing a “huge volume of evidence,” including video footage and witness statements.
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