🔗 Share this article

A former Royal Marine was a “person consumed by fury” as he drove into scores of LFC fans at a victory parade, an incident many initially feared to be a terrorist attack, according to court proceedings.

“The footage is truly shocking.”

Victims of Paul Doyle cried as dashcam footage depicted bodies spinning through the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Get out of the way!”

The 54-year-old defendant is due to be sentenced on Tuesday following his guilty plea on the first day of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges involving 21 adults and eight children.

‘Consumed by Anger’

The prosecution warned those in court that the video evidence from the defendant’s large people carrier was “truly shocking”. It showed the father of three shouting “fucking pricks” and “move out of the way” as he drove towards a large crowd of supporters, some pulling children out of the way as his car horn blared.

It was stated in court that Doyle acted as a “man in a rage had completely overpowered him” as he ploughed further into the crowd, accelerating as people collided with his car.

Scale of the Carnage

Overall, the former Royal Marine hurt 134 people within a mere seven-minute span – with over fifty who needed hospital treatment. A six-month-old boy was “miraculously” unharmed even though he was left on the roadway after the vehicle struck his stroller, 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, rib fractures and multiple abrasions.

The defendant could be heard shouting “fuck’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” prior to driving deeper into panicked fans, including an elderly woman and children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.

Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror

Speaking to a full court, lawyers said approximately a million individuals were present at “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “terror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd while trying to collect a companion who had been at the parade.

“Some at the scene believed the events unfolding was a terrorist attack.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path was stopped 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”. Despite this, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, according to evidence.

In his police interview, the defendant claimed he acted in a “state of sheer panic” because he feared for his life. However, the prosecution argued that the video showed Doyle “simply lost control in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. It was further stated: “Consumed by anger, he targeted the crowd and in doing so his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

Footage showed Doyle had been driving dangerously prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and jumping red lights. He ignored traffic diversion measures and weaved around other vehicles, even emergency service vehicles, as he entered the crowds.

Doyle is expected to receive a prison sentence of over a decade when he is sentenced on Tuesday.