Man Who Drove Into LFC Parade Was ‘In a Rage’, Court Hears.
An ex- Royal Marines Commando acted as a “person consumed by fury” as he drove into scores of Liverpool football club supporters during a championship celebration, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, according to court proceedings.
“The footage was deeply disturbing.”
Victims in the incident wept as dashcam footage depicted people being thrown into the air as he accelerated into crowds while screaming: “Fucking hell, move!”
Doyle, 54, will learn his fate on Tuesday following his guilty plea at the start of his trial last month to 31 offences involving 29 victims, including eight minors.
‘A Man in a Rage’
The prosecution stated the court that the footage from Doyle’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy proved to be “truly shocking”. It showed the parent shouting “fucking pricks” as well as “move out of the way” while he headed straight for hundreds of fans, with people frantically dragging children to safety as his car horn blared.
It was stated in court that Doyle acted as a “individual whose anger had completely overpowered him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, accelerating as people collided with his car.
Scale of the Carnage
Overall, the ex-marine injured 134 people in just seven minutes – including more than 50 who needed hospital treatment. A six-month-old boy was “remarkably” unharmed even though he was left on the roadway when Doyle’s car hit his pram, according to testimony.
A supporter, a man named in court, was seen being launched into the air by the car, suffering a laceration on his head, broken ribs and numerous scrapes.
Doyle was heard screaming “for God’s sake move! Get out of my path!” 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
Speaking to a full court, the prosecution said about 1 million people were present at “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere turned to “terror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd as he attempted to pick up a friend who had been at the parade.
“Some at the scene thought that the events unfolding constituted a terrorist incident.”
Brave Intervention Stops Driver
With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path 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”. Even then, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, the court heard.
In his police interview, Doyle stated he reacted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. However, the prosecution argued that the video demonstrated the defendant “simply lost control in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. The prosecutor added: “In a rage, he targeted the crowd and in doing so his intent was to cause serious injury.”
Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident
Footage showed the driver was driving recklessly prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and jumping red lights. He disregarded traffic diversion measures and bypassed other vehicles, including an ambulance and police cars, as he entered the crowds.
Doyle is understood to be facing a jail term of more than 10 years at his sentencing hearing.
