🔗 Share this article

A former Royal Marine acted as a “person consumed by fury” as he mowed down dozens of Liverpool football club fans at a victory parade, an incident many initially feared to be a terrorist attack, a court has heard.

“The video was profoundly upsetting.”

Victims in the incident wept while video from the car’s camera showed people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering while screaming: “Get out of the way!”

The 54-year-old defendant will learn his fate on Tuesday following his guilty plea at the start of his trial last month to 31 offences involving 21 adults and eight children.

‘Consumed by Anger’

The prosecution stated those in court that the footage from Doyle’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy proved to be “extremely graphic”. It showed the father of three shouting “fucking pricks” as well as “fucking move” while he headed straight for hundreds of fans, some pulling children out of the way as he blasted the horn.

The court was told that Doyle acted as a “man in a rage whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he ploughed further into the crowd, speeding up while individuals were struck by his vehicle.

Scale of the Carnage

Overall, the ex-marine injured 134 people in just seven minutes – with over fifty requiring hospital care. An infant was “miraculously” uninjured even though he was left on the roadway after the vehicle struck his stroller, the court heard.

A supporter, a man named in court, was shown being thrown into the air by the vehicle, sustaining a cut to the back of his head, rib fractures and numerous scrapes.

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

Celebration Descends into Chaos

Speaking to a full court, the prosecution said about 1 million people had attended “what they thought would be a joyous occasion” to celebrate Liverpool winning their 20th league title. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “horror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd while trying to collect a companion from the parade route.

“Some at the scene thought that what was taking place was a terrorist attack.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

As bodies lay on the ground, Doyle’s rampage was brought to a halt by an ex-army member, a man identified in court, who entered the back of the car 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. However, prosecutors contended that the video 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.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

The video indicated the driver was driving recklessly before he reached the city centre, overtaking cars dangerously and jumping red lights. He disregarded road closures and bypassed other vehicles, even emergency service vehicles, as he entered the crowds.

Doyle is understood to be facing a prison sentence of over a decade when he is sentenced on Tuesday.