Man That Ploughed Through LFC Victory Parade Was ‘In a Rage’, Court Hears.
A former Royal Marine acted as a “person consumed by fury” when he mowed down dozens of Liverpool football club fans at a victory parade, in what many feared was a act of terrorism, according to court proceedings.
“The video is deeply disturbing.”
Victims in the incident wept while dashcam footage showed bodies spinning through the air as he accelerated into crowds while screaming: “Get out of the way!”
The 54-year-old defendant will learn his fate on Tuesday following his guilty plea at the start of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges against 21 adults and eight children.
‘Consumed by Anger’
Prosecutors stated the court that the footage from Doyle’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy was “truly shocking”. It showed the parent yelling “fucking pricks” and “fucking move” while he headed straight for a large crowd of supporters, with people frantically dragging children to safety as he blasted the horn.
It was stated in court that Doyle was a “individual whose anger whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he ploughed further into the crowd, accelerating while individuals were struck by his vehicle.
Scale of the Carnage
Overall, the former Royal Marine injured 134 individuals in just seven minutes – with over fifty who needed hospital treatment. An infant 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 vehicle, suffering a cut to the back of his head, broken ribs and multiple abrasions.
The defendant was heard screaming “for God’s sake move! Get out of my path!” before ploughing further into panicked fans, including an elderly woman and children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.
Celebration Descends into Chaos
Speaking to a full court, the prosecution said approximately a million individuals had attended “what they thought would be a joyous occasion” marking the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere turned to “horror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd as he attempted to pick up a friend who had been at the parade.
“Witnesses believed what was taking place constituted a terrorist incident.”
Brave Intervention Stops Driver
With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path was brought to a halt by an ex-army member, Dan Barr, who entered the back of the car and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Despite this, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, according to evidence.
During questioning, Doyle stated he acted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. Yet, prosecutors contended that the dashcam footage demonstrated Doyle “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 was driving recklessly prior to entering downtown, undertaking cars at speed and running red lights. He disregarded traffic diversion measures and weaved around other vehicles, even emergency service vehicles, as he entered the crowds.
Doyle is understood to be facing a jail term of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.
