🔗 Share this article

A former Royal Marine was a “person consumed by fury” when he drove into scores of Liverpool football club fans during a championship celebration, an incident many initially feared to be a act of terrorism, a court has heard.

“The video was profoundly upsetting.”

Those injured in the incident cried as video from the car’s camera showed people being thrown into the air as he accelerated into crowds while screaming: “Get out of the way!”

The 54-year-old defendant will learn his fate 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 the defendant’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy proved to be “extremely graphic”. It showed the parent shouting “fucking pricks” and “fucking move” while he headed straight for hundreds of fans, some pulling children out of the way as his car horn blared.

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

Scale of the Carnage

In total, the former Royal Marine injured 134 people in just seven minutes – with over fifty who needed hospital treatment. An infant was “miraculously” unharmed even though he was left on the roadway after the vehicle struck his stroller, according to testimony.

One fan, Simon Nash, was seen being launched into the air by the car, sustaining a cut on his head, broken ribs and multiple abrasions.

Doyle was heard screaming “for God’s sake move! Get out of my path!” prior to driving deeper into screaming supporters, including an elderly woman and children who were dragged under the car.

Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror

Addressing a packed courtroom, the prosecution said approximately a million individuals had attended “what they thought would be a day of joyfulness” marking the football club’s championship win. Scenes of jubilation swiftly became “horror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd as he attempted to pick up a friend who had been at the parade.

“Some at the scene believed the events unfolding constituted a terrorist incident.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path was brought to a halt by a former soldier, a man identified in court, who entered the back of the car 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 stated he reacted in a “state of sheer panic” because he feared for his life. However, prosecutors contended that the dashcam footage demonstrated the defendant “simply lost control in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. The prosecutor added: “In a rage, he drove into the crowd and in doing so his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

The video showed the driver had been driving dangerously prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He disregarded road closures and bypassed other cars, even emergency service vehicles, as he entered the crowds.

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