Man That Drove Into Liverpool FC Parade Was ‘Consumed by Rage’, Trial Hears.
A former Royal Marine was a “person consumed by fury” when he drove into scores of LFC fans at a championship celebration, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, a court has heard.
“The video was deeply disturbing.”
Victims of Paul Doyle cried while video from the car’s camera showed people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Fucking hell, move!”
Doyle, 54, is due to be sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty at the start of his trial last month to 31 offences involving 21 adults and eight children.
‘Consumed by Anger’
The prosecution stated those in court that the footage from Doyle’s large people carrier proved to be “truly shocking”. The recording revealed the parent shouting “expletives” and “fucking move” while he headed straight for a large crowd of supporters, some pulling children out of the way as his car horn blared.
The court was told that Doyle acted as a “man in a rage whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, speeding up as people collided with his car.
Scale of the Carnage
In total, the ex-marine injured 134 people in just seven minutes – with over fifty who needed hospital treatment. An infant was “miraculously” uninjured even though he was left on the roadway when Doyle’s car hit his pram, the court heard.
One fan, Simon Nash, was shown being thrown into the air by the car, suffering a laceration to the back of his head, broken ribs and multiple abrasions.
Doyle was heard screaming “fuck’s sake move! Get out of my path!” before ploughing further into panicked fans, including an elderly woman and children who were dragged under the car.
Celebration Descends into Chaos
Addressing a packed courtroom, lawyers said approximately a million individuals had attended “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” marking Liverpool winning their 20th league title. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “terror”, it was said, when the driver entered the crowd while trying to collect a companion from the parade route.
“Some at the scene thought that what was taking place was a terrorist attack.”
Brave Intervention Stops Driver
With injured people on the street, Doyle’s rampage was brought to a halt by a former soldier, Dan Barr, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Despite this, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, the court heard.
In his police interview, the defendant stated he reacted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. However, the prosecution argued that the video showed Doyle “just lost his temper in his determination to reach his destination”. It was further stated: “Consumed by anger, he targeted the crowd and as he did so he intended to cause them serious harm.”
Reckless Behavior Before the Attack
Footage indicated Doyle had been driving dangerously before he reached the city centre, undertaking cars at speed and jumping red lights. He ignored road closures and bypassed other cars, including an ambulance and police cars, as he entered the crowds.
Doyle is understood to be facing a prison sentence of more than 10 years at his sentencing hearing.
