Man That Drove Into LFC Victory Parade Was ‘Consumed by Rage’, Court Told.
A former Royal Marines Commando was a “person consumed by fury” as he mowed down scores of Liverpool football club supporters at a victory parade, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, according to court proceedings.
“The video is truly shocking.”
Victims in the incident wept while dashcam footage showed bodies spinning through 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 after pleading guilty at the start of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges against 21 adults and eight children.
‘Consumed by Anger’
The prosecution stated the court that the video evidence from the defendant’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy was “truly shocking”. It showed the father of three yelling “fucking pricks” and “move out of the way” as he drove towards hundreds of fans, with people frantically dragging children to safety as he blasted the horn.
The court was told that Doyle was 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.
Extent of the Injuries
In total, the ex-marine injured 134 individuals in just seven minutes – with over fifty requiring hospital care. A six-month-old boy was “miraculously” uninjured despite being left splayed on the road when Doyle’s car hit his pram, the court heard.
A supporter, Simon Nash, was seen being launched into the air by the vehicle, suffering a cut to the back of his head, broken ribs and numerous scrapes.
Doyle could be heard shouting “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 were dragged under the car.
Celebration Descends into Chaos
Speaking to a full court, lawyers said about 1 million people had attended “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate the football club’s championship win. Scenes of jubilation turned to “horror”, it was said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans 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 brought to a halt by an ex-army member, a man identified in court, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Even then, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, according to evidence.
In his police interview, Doyle claimed he reacted in a “state of sheer panic” because he feared for his life. However, the prosecution argued that the dashcam footage demonstrated Doyle “just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. It was further stated: “In a rage, he drove into the crowd and in doing so he intended to cause them serious harm.”
Reckless Behavior Before the Attack
The video showed Doyle was driving recklessly before he reached the city centre, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He ignored traffic diversion measures and bypassed other cars, including an ambulance and police cars, as he entered the crowds.
The defendant is expected to receive a jail term of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.
