Driver That Drove Through Liverpool FC Parade Described as ‘In a Rage’, Trial Told.
A former Royal Marines Commando acted as a “man in a rage” as he drove into dozens of Liverpool football club fans at a victory parade, in what many feared was a act of terrorism, a court has heard.
“The video is profoundly upsetting.”
Victims in the incident cried while dashcam footage depicted people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Fucking hell, move!”
The 54-year-old defendant will learn his fate on Tuesday after pleading guilty on the first day of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges against 21 adults and eight children.
‘A Man in a Rage’
Prosecutors stated the court that the video evidence from Doyle’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy proved to be “truly shocking”. It showed the father of three shouting “fucking pricks” and “move out of the way” as he drove towards hundreds of fans, some pulling children out of the way as his car horn blared.
It was stated in court that Doyle acted as a “individual whose anger had completely overpowered him” as he ploughed further into the crowd, accelerating as people collided with his car.
Scale of the Carnage
In total, the former Royal Marine injured 134 individuals within a mere seven-minute span – including more than 50 who needed hospital treatment. An infant was “remarkably” unharmed even though he was left on the roadway when Doyle’s car hit his pram, the court heard.
One fan, a man named in court, was shown being thrown into the air by the car, sustaining a laceration to the back of 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 panicked fans, among them an older woman and young children who were dragged under the car.
Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror
Addressing a packed courtroom, the prosecution said about 1 million people had attended “what they thought would be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “terror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd as he attempted to pick up a friend from the parade route.
“Witnesses 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 entered the back of the car and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Despite this, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, the court heard.
During questioning, Doyle stated he reacted in a “state of sheer panic” because he feared for his life. However, prosecutors contended that the dashcam footage showed 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 he intended to cause them serious harm.”
Reckless Behavior Before the Attack
Footage showed Doyle was driving recklessly before he reached the city centre, undertaking cars at speed and running red lights. He disregarded road closures and weaved around other cars, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.
Doyle is expected to receive a jail term of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.
