Ex-Soldier Rushed to Help Liverpool Parade Crash

Liverpool Crown Court has seen distressing dashcam footage showing a former soldier coming to the rescue of dozens as Paul Doyle drove into a crowd of people at Liverpool FC's title parade.

Daniel Barr has been hailed as “a hero of these events” for his efforts to intervene after more than 100 people attending the event were injured on May 26, ranging in age from six months to 78 years old.

Fifty-four-year-old Doyle appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday (December 15), where he will be sentenced after pleading guilty to 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 in November.

Ex-soldier Daniel approached Doyle's Ford Galaxy as it reversed into the crowds, in a selfless act to prevent further injuries, The Echo reports.

Mr Barr had been watching the parade from near the Liver Building, the court head, and, once the parade ended, had begun walking up Water Street, intending to return home, when he noticed the car in the distance.

Around 50 people received treatment for injuries after Doyle's vehicle swerved through terrified pedestrians, sending some flying into the air.

Doyle's car stopped briefly beside Barr, who instinctively pulled open the rear passenger-side door and climbed in, intending to stop the driver. As Doyle tried to drive on, Barr leaned forward and forced the gear selector into park.

The Galaxy did not stop immediately, but eventually came to a halt. Witnesses later confirmed that even after the vehicle stopped, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator.

Ethan Cothliff, trapped with a friend under the car, recalled hearing the engine rev, while Ian Passey, trying to free his mother, also heard the accelerator as his head was near the bonnet.

Mr Greaney told the court that the vehicle only stopped because of the combined efforts of Daniel Barr and the fans trapped beneath it, not because Doyle chose to stop. Doyle himself, interviewed later, falsely claimed he had halted as soon as he realised he had struck someone.

Liverpool Crown Court also played earlier dashcam footage showing Doyle striking Simon Nash, who was thrown into the air and suffered rib fractures, a laceration to the head, and multiple abrasions.

Doyle then drove into a densely packed area of fans, hitting Sheree Aldridge, who was pushing a pram carrying her six-month-old son Teddy Eveson. Sheree sustained a degloving injury to her left thigh and required extensive treatment, but Teddy was unharmed. Footage showed the baby lying in the road beside his pram, wearing a red shirt.

Barr’s intervention, stepping into the moving car while others were trapped beneath it, was central to preventing further catastrophe. The court also saw James Vernon’s, an off-duty paramedic, bicycle lying nearby as the events unfolded.

The parade incident took place shortly after 6pm on May 26, leaving more than 100 people injured, 50 of whom required hospital treatment. Judge Andrew Menary KC has warned that a custodial sentence is inevitable.

Footage and eyewitness accounts highlighted both Doyle’s recklessness and Barr’s heroism, demonstrating how his courageous actions, along with the efforts of fans beneath the vehicle, prevented even greater injury during the chaos. Court spectators were visibly shaken as the sequence was replayed, underscoring the fear, injuries, and extraordinary bravery witnessed that evening.