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Paul Doyle had a loving bond with his wife and children and was known as a ‘good guy’ in the community. Then he drove his car into a crowd of innocent football fans in an act of ‘calculated violence’ which left more than 130 people injured. Neighbours in his quiet neighbourgood tell Alex Ross why they are still in disbelief
Wednesday 26 November 2025 13:12 GMT
CloseCCTV shows moment car enters parade street before hitting crowd of Liverpool fans
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As thousands of Liverpool football supporters celebrated their team’s success in the city centre, six miles away, in a leafy cul-de-sac, neighbours spotted a father-of-three slowly reverse out of his drive and pull away.
Believed to have dropped off the family of a work colleague in the city earlier that day, Paul Doyle, now 54, looked to be heading back out to collect them. “Paul, being Paul, the good guy he was, he’d have offered to collect them,” said a neighbour.
But the father-of-three never returned to his home.
Instead, he drove onto a cordoned-off street filled with Liverpool supporters heading home from the team’s victory parade, where he lost his temper and deliberately drove into them, leaving 134 people injured, including a six-month-old baby and a 77-year-old pensioner.
The news sent ripples of shock across the city – and the world. But none more so than the bewildered people who knew him, who described him as a “role model father”, someone the local community looked up to.
open image in galleryPaul Doyle was described as a kind family man by neighbours who were left in shock when they discovered he was at the wheel of the car during the Liverpool parade crash (Facebook)He was, they said, a man who always offered a helping hand with jobs, presented condolence gifts for bereavements and attended a local church.
“Shocked, stunned,” said his neighbour in West Derby, where spacious properties have an average price of £217,000.
“I know everyone’s reg [car registration plate] in the street, so as soon as I saw the images within seconds, I seen him, I said that’s his f****** car, on the f****** TV. My heart just sank, I couldn’t believe it.”
The neighbour said he knocked on Doyle’s door to check with his wife, who is believed to be a school teacher.
“I said, ‘Surely his car has been pinched and stolen or something’,” he said. “She burst out crying.”
Doyle lived with his wife and three children in their four-bedroom detached home, neighbours said.
The smart front garden had a table and chairs, an indication of the family’s open presence in the neighbourhood, while in the front drive, the parts of a racing bicycle are a nod to Doyle’s interest in sport.
open image in galleryNeighbours described Doyle as a sporty individual who would often be seen jogging or on his bicycle (Facebook)Having served in the Royal Marines for four years between 1990 and 1994, Doyle went on to work as a security engineer before setting up a business and graduating with a BSc in Psychology and Maths from the University of Liverpool in 1998.
He was reportedly a sports and fitness fan who had raced in triathlons.
Images on his social media pages show family holidays in Disneyland, Japan and Australia.
He would often be seen on his skateboard, walking his dog or playing outside his home with his children.
“He idolised his kids, and they loved him back,” said the neighbour. “He was a nice family guy, someone around to chat to on the estate or offer a bit of help when you were in the garden.
“You’d never believe he’d do something like this, it’s mad.”
open image in galleryDoyle shook his head when the prosecutor told the judge he drove deliberately at the crowd during an earlier court appearance (PA)Before moving to his current home in 1997, the family lived nearby in another semi-detached home, where again he was known as a friendly neighbour by those who lived there.
The daughter of a neighbour said that when her father died, during the same time Doyle and his family were moving away, he gave her mother an angel statue as a condolence gift.
“My mum said when my dad died and they were moving, my mum was upset because she said she was losing a friend as well as my dad,” she said.
Doyle’s actions in Liverpool were “very out of character” for a “loving and caring man”.
But she added: “I just feel for his wife and children now, to be honest. I think whatever the outcome is, it's not going to be good for him or his family.
“I think the perfect life as you knew it is no longer going to happen. It’s changed completely. They were well respected, and they worked hard, and they had a good life, they worked hard for it.”
Another person living on the same road echoed the woman’s words, calling him a “nice family man with a lovely wife and lovely kids”.
He remembers him being sporty, often seen jogging in the local park or on his bicycle.
open image in galleryThe world was left in shock as images of the aftermath of the incident in Liverpool city centre were shared (Caspar Barnes/The Independent)“There are certain people you’d think I’m not surprised about that, but with him, it knocked me back, I’d never expected it,” he said.
For him, like many others, the first they heard about what Doyle did was through frantic calls and social media messages in the hours after the Ford Galaxy was driven onto Water Street.
The parade marking Liverpool’s Premier League win had finished when the tragedy unfolded. Video footage showed people banging on the windows of the car as it hit supporters.
As emergency services rushed to the scene, parents and friends desperately tried to get in touch with loved ones who were at the event, attended by 750,000 people.
open image in galleryNot long before Doyle ploughed into supporters, the city had seen jubliant celebrations as the team took part in an open-top bus parade (Getty)Meanwhile, Doyle was questioned for almost 72 hours before being charged. As he arrived at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court the next day, the city watched with interest.
At first, he denied using his two-tonne car as a weapon and pleaded not guilty to all 31 counts against him. He was expected to argue he had acted in a blind panic when he collided with the crowd.
However on Wednesday, on the second day in Liverpool Crown Court as his trial was due to start, Doyle dramatically changed his pleas to admit dangerous driving, affray, 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, nine counts of causing GBH with intent and three counts of wounding with intent.
He sat with his head down and sobbed as he changed his pleas, speaking with a broken voice, wiping away tears as the charges were read to him again.
Sending him down to the cells from the dock, Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC warned him he should prepare himself for the “inevitable” lengthy prison sentence.
“People just wanted to know why,” said another man who lives on the road. “How could someone so perfect have committed such a terrible, terrible thing to innocent people?”
