JK Rowling has called for Daniel Barr to be awarded the George Cross for his bravery during the Liverpool FC victory parade attack, after horrific details of the rampage emerged in court.
Mr Barr intervened as Paul Doyle drove his car through crowds of football fans in Liverpool city centre, leaping into the moving vehicle and forcing it into park, an act a judge said was “outstandingly brave” and likely saved lives.
On May 26, 2025, Mr Doyle drove his Ford Galaxy into pedestrians on Water Street and Dale Street during celebrations for Liverpool’s Premier League title win.
In just two minutes, he struck 134 people, including children and an infant. Victims ranged in age from six months to 77 years.
The judge made reference to 'truly shocking' footage of the incident
|MERSEYSIDE POLICE/PA
While no one was killed, Merseyside Police said it was “sheer luck” that the attack did not result in fatalities, with many victims suffering life-changing injuries and lasting psychological trauma.
Dashcam footage shown in court captured Mr Doyle accelerating aggressively towards dense crowds, shouting “move”, “f****** p****s” and “get out the f****** way” as screaming fans were thrown onto the bonnet, dragged beneath the vehicle or forced to scatter in terror.
The attack was eventually stopped by Mr Barr, a former soldier who had previously served in Iraq hunting roadside bombs.
He told The Times that he ran towards the danger, climbed into the back seat of the moving car and held the automatic gear stick in park, even as Mr Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator.
Mr Doyle was not under the influence of drink or drugs at the time of the attack
| PAAfter stopping the vehicle, Mr Barr calmly left the scene, met his brother, “smartened up” and went for a pint.
Following Mr Doyle’s sentencing, Ms Rowling took to X to praise Mr Barr’s actions, writing: “George Cross, surely…”
Responding to a follower who said it was “amazing that no one was killed”, the Harry Potter author added: “I think it’s thanks to Daniel Barr nobody died, because that man clearly wanted to cause as much carnage as he could.”
“I just love how he smartened himself up and headed off to the pub,” she wrote in a further comment.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Daniel Barr climbed into Mr Doyle's car and moved the gear stick to bring the vehicle to a halt during the attack
| PAFans flooded her replies with praise for Mr Barr’s actions.
“Legend, would love to have a pint with this guy,” one wrote, while another said: “The most British reaction ever. Love it.”
On Monday, Mr Doyle, 54, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 21 years and six months in prison.
He must serve two-thirds of the sentence in custody before being eligible for release on licence and will be banned from driving until three years after completing his sentence, subject to an extended re-test.
JK Rowling called for Daniel Barr to be handed the George Cross
| PAPassing sentence, Judge Andrew Menary KC described the footage of the rampage as “truly shocking”, telling Mr Doyle his actions caused “horror and devastation on a scale not previously experienced by this court”.
“You struck people head-on, knocked others onto the bonnet, crushed prams and forced people to scatter in terror,” the judge said.
“You ploughed on at speed, violently knocking people aside or simply driving over them – person after person after person.”
The judge said dashcam footage showed Mr Doyle was not acting in fear or panic, as he claimed, but out of “an inexplicable and undiluted fury”, adding that his “disregard for human life defies ordinary understanding”.
The author was met with praise online for her take
| GETTYJudge Menary also formally commended Mr Barr, telling the court: “At a moment when many understandably feared for their own safety, he ran towards the danger, entered a moving vehicle and brought it to a halt, thereby preventing further injury and quite possibly saving lives.”
Victim impact statements revealed the depth of trauma caused, including from a survivor of the Manchester Arena terror attack and a mother whose pram, containing her six-month-old baby, was struck by Mr Doyle’s car.
One victim told the court: “The horror of not knowing whether my baby was alive or dead in that instant will haunt me forever.”
Mr Doyle, a former Royal Marine from Croxteth, Liverpool, initially denied 31 offences but changed his pleas moments before his trial was due to begin last month, admitting all charges.
He pleaded guilty to 17 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, nine counts of causing GBH with intent, three counts of wounding with intent and dangerous driving and affray.
Although friends of the offender described him as a “devoted husband and father”, the judge said the sentence reflected the “sheer scale” and “high culpability” of the offending, adding that what should have been a day of celebration had left “a lasting legacy of fear, injury and loss across this community”.