A former Royal Marine was a “man in a rage” when he mowed down dozens of LFC fans during a championship celebration, in what many feared was a act of terrorism, according to court proceedings.
“The footage is profoundly upsetting.”
Victims of Paul Doyle wept while dashcam footage depicted bodies spinning through 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 at the start of his trial last month to 31 offences involving 21 adults and eight children.
Prosecutors warned those in court that the video evidence from Doyle’s large people carrier proved to be “extremely graphic”. The recording revealed the father of three yelling “expletives” as well as “fucking move” as he drove towards a large crowd of supporters, with people frantically dragging children to safety as he blasted the horn.
The court was told that Doyle was a “individual whose anger had completely overpowered him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, speeding up as people collided with his car.
Overall, the former Royal Marine injured 134 people within a mere seven-minute span – with over fifty who needed hospital treatment. A six-month-old boy was “remarkably” unharmed even though he was left on the roadway after the vehicle struck his stroller, the court heard.
One fan, Simon Nash, was shown being thrown into the air by the car, sustaining a cut on his head, rib fractures and numerous scrapes.
The defendant could be heard shouting “for God’s sake move! Get out of my path!” before ploughing further into screaming supporters, including an elderly woman and children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.
Addressing a packed courtroom, 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 swiftly became “horror”, the prosecutor said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans while trying to collect a companion who had been at the parade.
“Some at the scene believed the events unfolding was a terrorist attack.”
As bodies lay on the ground, Doyle’s rampage was brought to a halt by a former soldier, a man identified in court, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Even then, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, according to evidence.
In his police interview, Doyle claimed he acted in a “state of sheer panic” because he feared for his life. Yet, the prosecution argued 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: “Consumed by anger, he drove into the crowd and in doing so he intended to cause them serious harm.”
Footage showed Doyle was driving recklessly prior to entering downtown, undertaking cars at speed and running red lights. He disregarded road closures and weaved around other cars, even emergency service vehicles, as he entered the crowds.
The defendant is understood to be facing a prison sentence of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.
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