A former Royal Marines Commando was a “man in a rage” when he mowed down dozens of Liverpool football club supporters at a victory parade, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, according to court proceedings.
“The footage is profoundly upsetting.”
Those injured of Paul Doyle wept while video from the car’s camera depicted people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Get out of the way!”
Doyle, 54, will learn his fate on Tuesday after pleading guilty on the first day of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges against 29 victims, including eight minors.
The prosecution 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” while he headed straight for a large crowd of supporters, some pulling children out of the way as he blasted the horn.
The court was told that Doyle was 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.
Overall, the former Royal Marine hurt 134 individuals in just seven minutes – including more than 50 requiring hospital care. An infant was “miraculously” uninjured even though he was left on the roadway when Doyle’s car hit his pram, the court heard.
One fan, Simon Nash, was seen being launched into the air by the vehicle, sustaining a laceration to the back of his head, broken ribs and multiple abrasions.
The defendant could be heard shouting “for God’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” before ploughing further into panicked fans, including an elderly woman and children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.
Speaking to a full court, lawyers said approximately a million individuals had attended “what they thought would be a day of joyfulness” marking Liverpool winning their 20th league title. Scenes of jubilation turned to “horror”, the prosecutor said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans as he attempted to pick up a friend from the parade route.
“Some at the scene believed what was taking place constituted a terrorist incident.”
As bodies lay on the ground, Doyle’s rampage was brought to a halt by an ex-army member, a man identified in court, who entered the back of the car and forced the gearstick into park. Despite this, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, according to evidence.
In his police interview, the defendant claimed he reacted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. However, the prosecution argued that the video demonstrated Doyle “simply lost control in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. The prosecutor added: “Consumed by anger, he targeted the crowd and as he did so his intent was to cause serious injury.”
Footage showed the driver had been driving dangerously before he reached the city centre, undertaking cars at speed and jumping red lights. He ignored road closures and weaved around other vehicles, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.
Doyle is expected to receive a prison sentence of over a decade when he is sentenced on Tuesday.
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