Man That Drove Through Liverpool FC Victory Parade Described as ‘In a Rage’, Court Hears.

A former Royal Marine acted as a “person consumed by fury” 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 was profoundly upsetting.”

Those injured of Paul Doyle wept as video from the car’s camera depicted people being thrown into the air as he accelerated into crowds 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 involving 29 victims, including eight minors.

‘A Man in a Rage’

Prosecutors warned the court that the video evidence from Doyle’s large people carrier proved to be “extremely graphic”. The recording revealed the father of three yelling “fucking pricks” as well as “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 was a “individual whose anger 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.

Scale of the Carnage

Overall, the ex-marine injured 134 individuals within a mere seven-minute span – with over fifty who needed hospital treatment. An infant was “miraculously” unharmed even though he was left on the roadway when Doyle’s car hit his pram, according to testimony.

A supporter, Simon Nash, was shown being thrown into the air by the vehicle, suffering a cut 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!” prior to driving deeper into screaming supporters, including an elderly woman and children who were dragged under the car.

Celebration Descends into Chaos

Addressing a packed courtroom, lawyers said approximately a million individuals were present at “what they thought would be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “terror”, it was said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans as he attempted to pick up a friend who had been at the parade.

“Witnesses believed what was taking place was a terrorist attack.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, Doyle’s rampage was brought to a halt by a former soldier, a man identified in court, who entered the back of the car and forced the gearstick into park. Even then, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, according to evidence.

In his police interview, Doyle stated he acted in a “state of sheer panic” due to a fear for his safety. However, the prosecution argued that the dashcam footage demonstrated 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 in doing so his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

Footage showed the driver was driving recklessly prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He ignored road closures and bypassed other cars, even emergency service vehicles, as he approached the packed streets.

Doyle is understood to be facing a prison sentence of more than 10 years when he is sentenced on Tuesday.

Victor Warren
Victor Warren

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