Driver That Ploughed Into LFC Victory Parade Was ‘In a Rage’, Court Hears.
A former Royal Marine was a “man in a rage” when he mowed down scores of Liverpool football club fans at a championship celebration, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, a court has heard.
“The footage is profoundly upsetting.”
Those injured in the incident cried while dashcam footage showed people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering while screaming: “Fucking hell, move!”
The 54-year-old defendant is due to be sentenced on Tuesday following his guilty plea at the start of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges involving 21 adults and eight children.
‘Consumed by Anger’
The prosecution stated the court that the video evidence from Doyle’s large people carrier proved to be “truly shocking”. The recording revealed the parent yelling “fucking pricks” as well as “fucking move” while he headed straight for hundreds of fans, with people frantically dragging children to safety as he blasted the horn.
The court was told that Doyle acted as a “individual whose anger whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he ploughed further into the crowd, speeding up as people collided with his car.
Scale of the Carnage
In total, the ex-marine injured 134 people in just seven minutes – including more than 50 who needed hospital treatment. A six-month-old boy was “miraculously” 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 shown being thrown into the air by the car, sustaining a laceration on his head, broken ribs and numerous scrapes.
Doyle could be heard shouting “for God’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” prior to driving deeper into panicked fans, including an elderly woman and children who were dragged under the car.
Celebration Descends into Chaos
Speaking to a full court, lawyers said approximately a million individuals had attended “what they thought would be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “horror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd while trying to collect a companion from the parade route.
“Witnesses believed what was taking place was a terrorist attack.”
Brave Intervention Stops Driver
With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path was stopped 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.
During questioning, the defendant claimed he acted in a “state of sheer panic” because he feared for his life. However, prosecutors contended 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 drove into the crowd and as he did so his intent was to cause serious injury.”
Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident
Footage indicated the driver had been driving dangerously before he reached the city centre, undertaking cars at speed and running red lights. He disregarded road closures and weaved around other vehicles, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.
The defendant is understood to be facing a prison sentence of more than 10 years at his sentencing hearing.
