Man Who Drove Through LFC Victory Parade Was ‘In a Rage’, Court Told.
A former Royal Marine acted as a “man in a rage” as he drove into scores of LFC supporters during a victory parade, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, according to court proceedings.
“The video was 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 while screaming: “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 offences against 21 adults and eight children.
‘A Man in a Rage’
Prosecutors stated the court that the footage from Doyle’s large people carrier proved to be “truly shocking”. The recording revealed the father of three yelling “expletives” as well as “move out of the way” while he headed straight for a large crowd of supporters, 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 ploughed further into the crowd, accelerating as people collided with his car.
Scale of the Carnage
Overall, 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” uninjured despite being left splayed on the road 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 vehicle, suffering a laceration to the back of his head, rib fractures and numerous scrapes.
The defendant could be heard shouting “fuck’s sake move! Get out of my path!” prior to driving deeper into screaming supporters, among them an older woman and young children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.
Celebration Descends into Chaos
Speaking to a full court, lawyers said about 1 million people had attended “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere turned to “horror”, the prosecutor said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans while trying to collect a companion who had been at the parade.
“Witnesses thought that what was taking place constituted a terrorist incident.”
Brave Intervention Stops Driver
With injured people on the street, Doyle’s rampage was brought to a halt by an ex-army member, a man identified in court, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Despite this, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, the court heard.
During questioning, the defendant claimed he acted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. However, the prosecution argued that the dashcam footage demonstrated Doyle “simply lost control in his determination to reach his destination”. It was further stated: “Consumed by anger, he drove into the crowd and as he did so he intended to cause them serious harm.”
Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident
Footage showed the driver had been driving dangerously prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He ignored traffic diversion measures and weaved around other vehicles, even emergency service vehicles, as he approached the packed streets.
The defendant is understood to be facing a jail term of more than 10 years when he is sentenced on Tuesday.
