Liverpool FC parade horror report issues findings after Paul Doyle carnage

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Planning for the Liverpool FC victory parade last year was “detailed and effective” - before Paul Doyle went berserk and ploughed his car into the crowds.

Around 1. 2 million people lined the streets in May 2025 to toast the Reds’ Premier League title victory with an independent report concluding the city “could and should” hold events of its kind again. It was the club’s 20th league title and first celebration in front of spectators for more than 30 years, having been denied the opportunity to do so during the covid-19 pandemic.

The report clarified the Water Street vehicle incident , which occurred after the parade had concluded, fell entirely outside the scope of the review, as it was the subject of a separate police investigation and criminal court proceedings.

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Doyle was jailed for 21 years and six months after he admitted a total of 31 charges relating to the day in question. The 54-year-old injured more than 100 pedestrians after he ploughed his Ford Galaxy into crowds of supporters.

The 65-page assessment was compiled to summarise the learnings from events which took place before the carnage. It said what was planned as a “city celebration” took place with “an international attendance” and makes a series of recommendations regarding future events. This includes potentially shortening any proposed parade routes and challenging the government to tighten control around the use of smoke and flares.

Led by Eric Stuart, a former Metropolitan Police officer, the review examined the parade's planning and execution to guide future large-scale events in the city.

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Mr Stuart, director and owner of crowd safety management company Gentian Events Ltd, has previously conducted reviews into New Year ’s Eve in London in 2005, the EURO 2020 final at Wembley and the Toronto Raptors victory parade in Canada. Drawing his conclusions, he wrote: “This was by far the largest football parade of its kind held within the city, and perhaps within the country, in recent years.

“The work of all the agencies to keep the event safe was impressive. There is no doubt that this is largely in part due to the strong working relations the agencies of the city, the club, police, and many others have through previous large-scale events and challenges, including terrorism.”

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The found almost 150 people were injured during the parade before the traumatic events on Water Street. - with many suffered burns from flares. Mr Stuart wrote: “It seems that the attitude of many fans globally is now one of: ‘No Pyro, No Party.’ This does not relate just to Liverpool or even to football, having spread into parts of the music industry as well.

“It is hard to predict where or how this problem might be resolved, but it does seem to be on the increase and needs resolution before a significant injury or death occurs.

Regarding future events, Mr Stuart said it was not a case of if such parades could go ahead again, rather, “how do we not continue without such events?” He said: “If we are to cease such activities, our lives would be poorer for it.”

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The former police officer added: “I believe Liverpool will take the lessons from this report and apply the learning to the next event of whatever size or scale, be it a victory parade or some other unusual artistic or creative event. The conclusion of this report is that the planning was thorough and complete, and the numbers who arrived could not have been anticipated, other than by those with remarkable hindsight.

“Despite this, the hard work of all the partners and agencies kept the vast majority of people safe on an incredibly challenging and difficult day, against a backdrop of other events having taken place over recent days and with more than double, possibly treble the number of people in the city than were expected or planned for.”

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Cllr Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool Council, said: “I would like to reaffirm our support and solidarity with all those affected by the events on May 26 2025. We greatly appreciate Eric Stuart’s thorough and independent review of our event planning processes.

“Mr Stuart’s acknowledgement of the professionalism, dedication, and resilience of our council staff and partner teams, who worked tirelessly to ensure public safety in challenging circumstances is extremely reassuring. It is the strength of these partnerships and decades of collective experience that have established Liverpool as one of the UK’s leading cities for delivering major international events.

“We are immensely proud of everyone involved in planning and delivering the event. Mr Stuart recommends that, as opportunities arise in future for either of our clubs, the city should once again celebrate sporting success.