UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – During the Liverpool parade on 26 May, Dan Barr stopped Paul Doyle’s car, preventing further injuries, though he insists he “isn’t a hero” despite widespread praise.
As reported by Jonny Humphries and Rowan Bridge of the BBC, the Liverpool FC parade attendee who halted the car that injured 134 fans has rejected the hero label.
Dan Barr managed to enter the Ford Galaxy and shift its gear into “park” as driver Paul Doyle attempted to accelerate through the crowded Water Street.
Who is Paul Doyle, and what did he do?
Paul Doyle is a 54-year-old ex-Royal Marine who was sentenced on December 16, 2025, to 21 years and six months in prison for driving a vehicle into crowds during a Liverpool FC victory parade in May.
On May 26, 2025, over a million fans gathered in Liverpool city centre to celebrate the club’s 20th league title. In what the court described as a moment of “inexplicable and undiluted fury,” Doyle used his two-tonne Ford Galaxy “as a weapon.”
He deliberately accelerated into fans on Dale Street and Water Street for approximately two minutes, striking more than 130 people. The injured included 134 people, with victims ranging in age from a six-month-old baby to a 77-year-old woman.
The rampage was only halted when a bystander, former soldier Daniel Barr, managed to climb into the moving vehicle and force the gearstick into park mode.
What did Dan Barr reveal about the Liverpool parade incident?
During an interview, Dan Barr described the “horrendous” sight of victims pleading in vain for Paul Doyle, 54, to stop, saying, “I’m not the same since that day.”
Police and authorities praised his bravery, but Mr Barr said being called a hero makes him “cringe,” adding, “Every man I saw was trying to do the same.”
Liverpool supporter Mr Dan Barr, from Birkenhead, had watched the parade on the city waterfront and became caught in the crowd heading back to the city centre along Water Street shortly before 18:00 BST.
The ex-Royal Engineer said he noticed an ambulance struggling to get through the packed crowd and moved to the right to clear its path.
Recalling the events, Mr Barr said his memory is “blurry,” but he described seeing the roof of a dark car weaving through the crowd, knocking people into the air as it neared him.
He said,
“I just remember for some reason, I don’t know why, but his vehicle stopped for a bit.”
Mr Barr said he spotted a clear path to the rear and instinctively ran toward the car, adding,
“There was already other men at different positions around the car trying to get in, desperately trying to punch their way in. Just the sheer desperation of the situation, you knew it wasn’t over.”
The former soldier thought the car doors were locked and prepared to punch through the window. At the last moment, he tried the handle, managed to climb inside, but as he got in, Doyle accelerated, and the door slammed shut.
He stated,
“We’ve gone from total chaos – panic, screaming – to relative silence as he’s accelerated off. Then you can just hear the people being hit and run over, like ten-pin bowling, pretty horrendous. I could see everything from where I was.”
Mr Barr said,
“I could see people’s faces, I could see the looks of just, like they were trying to plead but wasting their time. That’s all that they could do, there was nowhere to go, nowhere to get out of the way for them.”
He recalled desperately trying to stop the car and noticing the gearstick in drive, then reaching between the seats and pushing it forward into park mode.
The former engineer added,
“Things are fuzzy but I kept my hand on there. Nothing would have moved my arm, no way.”
Doyle’s attack ended once the car could no longer move, and the injured people were caught under the wheels. When the vehicle stopped, others broke the windows and dragged him out, aided by Mr Barr unfastening the driver’s seatbelt.
According to detectives reviewing dashcam footage, Mr Barr may not have been noticed by Doyle, though he said he was not sure.
Mr Barr stated,
“I find it a very interesting question. He was repeating the same thing over and over, ‘why won’t they move out my way? Was he asking me? Was that a statement? I don’t know.”
He said,
“I don’t think I have processed it, to be honest with you. It doesn’t mean that I don’t think I ever will be, but I’m not the same since that day. Big things don’t bother me, it’s little things. Little things are starting to agitate me every day.”
“I’m different in work, I struggle to take on instruction, I struggle to watch telly, take things on board. I’ll have to keep rewinding it. It’s mad. I don’t really know what I’m saying, I’m just not myself, I’m very forgetful,”
Mr Barr added.
Despite eight years in the army, Mr Barr said he rarely spoke about his military service. The incident on Water Street and concern from his family and friends drove him to seek professional help, Mr Barr explained. Asked about the hero label, he said, “It makes my toes curl, honestly.”
He continued,
“If they could have, who wouldn’t have done what I did?”
How many years was Paul Doyle sentenced to for the Liverpool parade crash?
Paul Doyle was sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison. Judge Andrew Menary KC noted the sentence would have been 24 years if convicted at trial.
The judge ruled that Doyle was fully responsible for the incident, saying,
“The position should be stated clearly. The crowd did not cause this incident, they reacted to it. They had no idea who you were, why you were driving in that manner or whether this was a serious attack.”
He stated that any responses towards the vehicle were
“actions of frightened people desperate to stop a moving threat they could not understand. They were not acts of aggression, they were acts of fear.”
Judge Menary said those who know him described him as a “dedicated husband and father, disciplined, responsible, and generous with his time.”
“His family and friends share the bewilderment felt by all over May 26,” the judge said. He added that the sentence would have a devastating effect, but reflected the severity and scale of his crimes.
Judge Menary chose not to permanently ban Paul Doyle from driving. “Many will argue you should never drive again,” he said, but added that Doyle’s rehabilitation was considered in reaching the decision.
What did CPS say about Paul Doyle’s rampage at the Liverpool parade?
Prosecutor James Allison, from CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said,
“In seven minutes of dangerous driving, Doyle, a middle-aged family man, used that vehicle as a weapon, hitting more than one hundred people, including children, babies and the elderly.”
He stated,
“When it eventually ended, he had trapped some of them underneath his vehicle. He not only injured many people, but he also generated horror and chaos on what was meant to be a day of celebration and joyfulness.”
Mr Allison added,
“The reason why he did it? The truth is as simple as it is awful, Paul Doyle lost his temper and, in a rage, drove into people, intending to cause them serious harm. The dashcam footage of his journey into Liverpool city centre that day is truly shocking.”
He continued,
“We have watched a huge amount of CCTV, mobile phone and other footage to build the strongest case possible. And in the end, Mr Doyle had no choice but to plead guilty to all 31 charges he faced. Our thoughts of course, remain with the victims and witnesses from that day, which turned from joy and celebration to horror in just seven minutes.”
What did the Liverpool Mayor say about heroes who helped during the parade crash?
Steve Rotheram said,
“Nothing can undo the physical and emotional trauma that many people will continue to live with. But it’s important that anyone affected knows support is still available – not just now, but in the months and years ahead.”
He added,
“I want to thank Merseyside Police and all the emergency services for their professionalism and compassion in the immediate aftermath. And I want to pay tribute to the ordinary people of our city who ran towards danger – helping strangers, offering first aid, opening their homes, and doing whatever they could in the moments that mattered most. Their collective response showed the very best of our region at such a difficult time.”
Why did Paul Doyle drive into the crowd during the Liverpool parade?
Paul Doyle drove his vehicle into the crowd at the May 26, 2025, Liverpool FC victory parade due to what the court described as an “inexplicable and undiluted fury.”
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) argued that Doyle’s primary motivation was a total loss of temper. Doyle was driving into the city center to pick up friends who had attended the parade. He became increasingly agitated by road closures and the high volume of pedestrians blocking his path.
Prosecutors said he regarded himself as the “most important person on Dale Street” and felt that everyone else needed to get out of his way. His frustration escalated into a “calculated violence” where he chose to use his two-tonne Ford Galaxy as a weapon to force his way through the crowds.
Doyle initially claimed that he acted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. He told police he saw a bystander with a knife and felt he was about to be dragged from his car and stabbed.
Police interviewed over 1,500 witnesses and reviewed extensive CCTV and dashcam footage, finding no evidence of anyone with a knife.
Audio from his own car captured him aggressively shouting obscenities at fans, such as “f—ing p—ks” and “get out the f—ing way,” which the judge noted indicated frustration and rage rather than fear.
What is the purpose of the Liverpool parade?
The Liverpool FC parade is a special celebration held to honor the team’s significant achievements and trophy wins. The event that Paul Doyle drove into was specifically a celebration for Liverpool FC winning the Premier League title in the 2024-25 season.
Parades have been held for winning the FA Cup (1965), the Champions League (2019), and both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup (2022).
The 2025 parade was particularly significant because it was the club’s 20th league title, an in-person celebration fans missed out on when the club last won the league in the 2019-20 season due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
