Journal De Bruxelles - UK man sobs as he admits ploughing into Liverpool football parade

Paul Doyle had for months denied 31 criminal charges, including causing grievous bodily harm with intent, wounding with intent, affray and dangerous driving during the Liverpool city centre incident in May.

But on the second day of his trial and as prosecutors prepared to begin presenting their evidence against him, the 54-year-old sensationally reversed course.

Wearing a suit and glasses, he sobbed and stared at the floor as he repeatedly said "guilty" with a faltering voice to each count.

Judge Andrew Menary said he will pass sentence over two days starting on December 15, telling Doyle to prepare for "a custodial sentence of some length".

The maximum sentence for the most serious offences is life imprisonment.

Doyle, from a Liverpool suburb and reportedly a former Royal Marine, drove his Ford Galaxy Titanium into more than 100 people as they were leaving the parade celebrating Liverpool Football Club's victory on May 26.

He injured 134, including infants, other children and adults, according to Merseyside Police.

There were no fatalities, but 50 people required hospital treatment.

- 'Calculated violence' -

They had been celebrating Liverpool claiming a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title when the Premier League season ended the previous day.

Its players had paraded the trophy along the city's waterfront in front of hundreds of thousands of fans.

Some roads in the central area had been closed to normal traffic to allow the parade to pass.

Police swiftly declared that the incident was not terrorism.

The circumstances of the alleged attack had remained largely unclear, but it now appears to have been an extreme case of road rage.

Sarah Hammond, the Crown Prosecution Service's top regional prosecutor, said dashcam footage from Doyle's vehicle showed he became "increasingly agitated by the crowds".

"Rather than wait for them to pass, he deliberately drove at them, forcing his way through," she said in a statement following his guilty pleas.

"Driving a vehicle into a crowd is an act of calculated violence," she added.

"This was not a momentary lapse by Paul Doyle -- it was a choice he made that day and it turned celebration into mayhem."

Hammond said he had "finally accepted that he intentionally drove into crowds of innocent people".

- 'Shocking scenes' -

Doyle had originally been charged with seven offences, but 24 new counts were added to the indictment in August.

They related to 29 victims, including eight who were children at the time. The youngest was six months old, while the eldest was in their late 70s.

Father-of-three Doyle, who has been in custody since his arrest, will remain in prison ahead of his sentencing.

Merseyside Police Detective Chief Inspector John Fitzgerald said it was "hard to forget the shocking scenes from that day".

"What should have been a day of celebration for the city turned into a distressing and frightening experience which we know continues to have a physical and psychological impact on many people."

Noting that some of the seriously injured victims had been trapped under the car, he added it was "only by sheer luck that nobody was killed because of Doyle's reckless actions".

"We know that a lot of people are still recovering from the injuries they suffered on that day," Fitzgerald said.

"We hope that the knowledge Doyle is now facing a considerable prison sentence will be able to help those affected to move on with their lives."

O.M.Jacobs--JdB