Man Who Drove Into LFC Victory Parade Described as ‘Consumed by Rage’, Trial Hears.
A former Royal Marines Commando acted as a “person consumed by fury” when he drove into dozens of Liverpool football club fans during a victory parade, in what many feared was a act of terrorism, a court has heard.
“The video was deeply disturbing.”
Victims in the incident cried as video from the car’s camera showed bodies spinning through the air while he sped towards the gathering while screaming: “Get out of the way!”
Doyle, 54, is due to be sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty on the first day of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges involving 21 adults and eight children.
‘Consumed by Anger’
The prosecution stated those in court that the video evidence from Doyle’s large people carrier proved to be “extremely graphic”. The recording revealed the parent shouting “expletives” and “fucking move” as he drove towards hundreds of fans, with people frantically dragging children to safety as he blasted the horn.
It was stated in court that Doyle acted as a “individual whose anger whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, accelerating as people collided with his car.
Scale of the Carnage
Overall, the former Royal Marine injured 134 individuals in just seven minutes – including more than 50 requiring hospital care. An infant was “remarkably” unharmed despite being left splayed on the road when Doyle’s car hit his pram, the court heard.
A supporter, a man named in court, was seen being launched into the air by the car, suffering a cut on his head, rib fractures and numerous scrapes.
The defendant was heard screaming “for God’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” before ploughing further into screaming supporters, among them an older woman and young children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.
Celebration Descends into Chaos
Addressing a packed courtroom, the prosecution said about 1 million people had attended “what they thought would be a joyous occasion” to celebrate the football club’s championship win. Scenes of jubilation turned to “terror”, the prosecutor said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans while trying to collect a companion from the parade route.
“Witnesses believed 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 an ex-army member, a man identified in court, who entered the back of the car and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Even then, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, the court heard.
During questioning, the defendant claimed he acted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. Yet, prosecutors contended that the dashcam footage showed the defendant “just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. It was further stated: “Consumed by anger, he drove into the crowd and as he did so his intent was to cause serious injury.”
Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident
Footage showed Doyle had been driving dangerously prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He disregarded traffic diversion measures and weaved around other cars, even emergency service vehicles, as he entered the crowds.
The defendant is expected to receive a prison sentence of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.
