A man who drove a car into crowds celebrating Liverpool FC's title victory has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison, as a shocking past attack involving him biting off a fellow serviceman's ear comes to light.
A Lengthy Prison Sentence for Parade Carnage
Paul Doyle, 54, was jailed for 21 years and six months on Tuesday after pleading guilty to 31 offences. These charges, including dangerous driving and affray, related to the incident on Water Street in Liverpool last May, where his actions left 130 people injured.
Doyle admitted to one count of dangerous driving, one of affray, and 29 charges of grievous bodily harm in connection with the parade attack. The sentencing marks a conclusion to one chapter of his violent history, while another victim has now spoken out about a brutal assault decades prior.
"He Chewed It Up and Spat It Out": A 1994 Horror
Stuart Lucas, a 68-year-old retired teacher and former Royal Navy sailor, has broken a thirty-year silence to describe a vicious attack by Doyle in 1994. The incident occurred at Charnock Richard services on the M6 in Lancashire.
Doyle, then a 23-year-old Royal Marine, was on a bus with sailors when trouble erupted after heavy drinking. Doyle launched a flying kick that floored two young naval ratings after being challenged about his behaviour. When Mr Lucas intervened, Doyle turned on him.
"I controlled him till he bit my ear off," Mr Lucas recounted. "It was so painful I let go and then when I did let him go, he bit through it, chewed it up and spat it out." Mr Lucas, who was a Masters student at Strathclyde University at the time, testified against Doyle, who was later jailed for 12 months over the assault. Mr Lucas remains disfigured, having declined reconstructive surgery.
A Pattern of Explosive Violence
Drawing a direct parallel between the two incidents separated by three decades, Mr Lucas noted Doyle's capacity to shatter moments of collective happiness with sudden, extreme violence.
"Speaking of the Liverpool attack, there's your link," he said. "Everyone at the parade was all happy and he was the one that was unhappy. And in our little scenario everyone was happy... and then all hell broke loose."
Prosecutors in the recent case described how Doyle "lost his temper" before driving into the parade crowd, mirroring the loss of control described by Mr Lucas from 1994. Doyle's latest sentencing ensures he will be behind bars for a substantial period, following a life marked by severe acts of aggression.
