Paul Doyle, 53, is charged with seven offences over a crash during Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade where more than 100 people were left injured in the city centre
A suspect accused of driving into a crowd at Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade was absent from court as a judge ruled that victims could be named as reporting restrictions were lifted.
Paul Doyle, 53, from West Derby, has been charged with a series of alleged offences after a car was driven into crowds of fans during last week’s Premier League title celebrations in Liverpool city centre. A total of 109 pedestrians, ranging from children aged as young as nine to a 78-year-old casualty, were injured after being struck by a Ford Galaxy on Water Street shortly after 6pm on May 26, with four still in hospital.
The defendant appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday charged with two counts of wounding with intent, two of inflicting grievous bodily harm, two of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm and dangerous driving.
His case was brought back before to the Crown Court this afternoon, for the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC to consider lifting reporting restrictions which had been imposed on the identities of the six complainants.
Doyle was not present during the hearing, either in the dock or via video link, having been excused from attending on the last occasion.
Doyle was not required to attend court or be present via video link for the hearing. He is due to appear for a plea hearing in August, with a provisional trial date set for November.
Restrictions preventing the media from reporting the names of the casualties, their addresses, places of work, schools, pictures or any other information which could lead to their identities being revealed were imposed by District Judge Paul Healey in the Magistrates’ Court last week.
An order under Section 45 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, which protects the identity of the two boys, aged 11 and 17, who were named as complainants, has not been challenged by the media and will remain in place indefinitely. But reporting restrictions under Section 46 of the same act, which prevented the four adult casualties from being identified, were opposed
And Judge Menary ruled that the reporting restrictions should be lifted after hearing submissions from Philip Astbury, prosecuting, and Gavin Millar KC, who was instructed to make representations on behalf of organisations including the BBC, ITN, Sky, Associated Newspapers Ltd, Guardian News and Media and the Telegraph Media Group.
The four complainants in question can therefore be named as 18-year-old Ethan Gillard, 52-year-old Simon Nash, 66-year-old Christine Seeckts and 77-year-old Susan Passey. Doyle is due to face a three to four week trial before the same court on November 24 this year and has been remanded into custody ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing on August 14.