Man Who Drove Through LFC Parade Described as ‘In a Rage’, Trial Hears.
An ex- Royal Marines Commando was a “man in a rage” as he mowed down dozens of Liverpool football club fans during a championship celebration, in what many feared was a act of terrorism, according to court proceedings.
“The footage was truly shocking.”
Those injured in the incident wept as dashcam footage showed people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Get out of the way!”
The 54-year-old defendant is due to be sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty on the first day of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges against 21 adults and eight children.
‘Consumed by Anger’
The prosecution warned the court that the video evidence from Doyle’s large people carrier was “extremely graphic”. The recording revealed the parent yelling “expletives” and “fucking move” as he drove towards a large crowd of supporters, with people frantically dragging children to safety as his car horn blared.
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, accelerating as people collided with his car.
Scale of the Carnage
Overall, the former Royal Marine hurt 134 people within a mere seven-minute span – with over fifty requiring hospital care. A six-month-old boy was “remarkably” uninjured even though he was left on the roadway after the vehicle struck his stroller, according to testimony.
One fan, a man named in court, was seen being launched 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 “fuck’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” 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, the prosecution said approximately a million individuals had attended “what they thought would be a day of joyfulness” marking the football club’s championship win. Scenes of jubilation turned to “terror”, it was 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 was a terrorist attack.”
Brave Intervention Stops Driver
As bodies lay on the ground, Doyle’s rampage 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 continued pressing the gas pedal, the court heard.
In his police interview, Doyle stated 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 in doing so he intended to cause them serious harm.”
Reckless Behavior Before the Attack
Footage indicated Doyle was driving recklessly prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He disregarded road closures and bypassed other cars, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.
Doyle is expected to receive a jail term of more than 10 years at his sentencing hearing.
