Man Who Drove Into LFC Parade Was ‘Consumed by Rage’, Trial Hears.
An ex- Royal Marines Commando acted as a “man in a rage” as he mowed down dozens of Liverpool football club fans at a championship celebration, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, a court has heard.
“The video is truly shocking.”
Victims of Paul Doyle wept while video from the car’s camera showed bodies spinning through the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Fucking hell, move!”
Doyle, 54, is due to be sentenced on Tuesday following his guilty plea at the start of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges against 29 victims, including eight minors.
‘Consumed by Anger’
Prosecutors stated those in court that the footage from Doyle’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy proved to be “truly shocking”. It showed the father of three shouting “expletives” as well as “fucking move” while he headed straight for a large crowd of supporters, with people frantically dragging children to safety as his car horn blared.
It was stated in court that Doyle was a “individual whose anger had completely overpowered him” as he ploughed further into the crowd, speeding up while individuals were struck by his vehicle.
Scale of the Carnage
Overall, the ex-marine hurt 134 people in just seven minutes – including more than 50 who needed hospital treatment. An infant was “remarkably” unharmed despite being left splayed on the road after the vehicle struck his stroller, the court heard.
One fan, Simon Nash, was seen being launched into the air by the vehicle, suffering a cut to the back of his head, rib fractures and numerous scrapes.
Doyle was heard screaming “for God’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” prior to driving deeper into panicked fans, among them an older woman and young children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.
Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror
Addressing a packed courtroom, lawyers said about 1 million people were present at “what they thought would be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate the football club’s championship win. Scenes of jubilation swiftly became “horror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd as he attempted to pick up a friend from the parade route.
“Some at the scene thought that the events unfolding was a terrorist attack.”
Brave Intervention Stops Driver
With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path was stopped by an ex-army member, Dan Barr, who entered the back of the car and forced the gearstick into park. Despite this, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, according to evidence.
In his police interview, the defendant claimed he acted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. However, the prosecution argued that the dashcam footage demonstrated the defendant “just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. The prosecutor added: “In a rage, he targeted the crowd and as he did so his intent was to cause serious injury.”
Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident
The video showed the driver had been driving dangerously prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He disregarded road closures and bypassed other vehicles, even emergency service vehicles, as he approached the packed streets.
The defendant is understood to be facing a jail term of more than 10 years when he is sentenced on Tuesday.
