🔗 Share this article

A former Royal Marines Commando acted as a “person consumed by fury” when he drove into scores of LFC supporters during a championship celebration, an incident many initially feared to be a act of terrorism, according to court proceedings.

“The footage is deeply disturbing.”

Those injured of Paul Doyle wept as dashcam footage 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 following his guilty plea on the first day of his trial last month to 31 offences involving 21 adults and eight children.

‘Consumed by Anger’

The prosecution stated the court that the video evidence from Doyle’s large people carrier was “extremely graphic”. It showed the father of three shouting “fucking pricks” as well as “fucking move” as he drove towards hundreds of fans, with people frantically dragging children to safety as his car horn blared.

The court was told that Doyle was a “man in a rage whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, accelerating as people collided with his car.

Scale of the Carnage

Overall, the former Royal Marine injured 134 people in just seven minutes – including more than 50 requiring hospital care. An infant was “remarkably” uninjured even though he was left on the roadway after the vehicle struck his stroller, 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, broken ribs and multiple abrasions.

The defendant was heard screaming “fuck’s sake move! Get out of my path!” prior to driving deeper into panicked fans, among them an older woman and young children who were dragged under the car.

Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror

Addressing a packed courtroom, the prosecution said about 1 million people were present at “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate Liverpool winning their 20th league title. Scenes of jubilation swiftly became “terror”, it was said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans while trying to collect a companion from the parade route.

“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, Dan Barr, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and forced the gearstick into park. Even then, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, according to evidence.

In his police interview, the defendant stated he reacted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. However, prosecutors contended that the dashcam footage demonstrated Doyle “simply lost control in his determination to reach his destination”. The prosecutor added: “Consumed by anger, he drove into the crowd and in doing so he intended to cause them serious harm.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

The video indicated the driver had been driving dangerously before he reached the city centre, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He ignored road closures and bypassed other vehicles, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.

Doyle is expected to receive a prison sentence of more than 10 years when he is sentenced on Tuesday.