🔗 Share this article

An ex- Royal Marines Commando acted as a “man in a rage” as he mowed down scores of Liverpool football club fans during a victory parade, an incident many initially feared to be a terrorist attack, a court has heard.

“The footage was truly shocking.”

Victims in the incident wept while video from the car’s camera depicted people being thrown into the air as he accelerated into crowds and shouted: “Get out of the way!”

The 54-year-old defendant is due to be sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty on the first day of his trial last month to 31 offences against 29 victims, including eight minors.

‘Consumed by Anger’

The prosecution warned the court that the video evidence from the defendant’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy was “truly shocking”. It showed the father of three yelling “expletives” as well as “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 was a “man in a rage whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he ploughed further into the crowd, accelerating as people collided with his car.

Scale of the Carnage

In total, the ex-marine injured 134 individuals in just seven minutes – with over fifty requiring hospital care. A six-month-old boy was “remarkably” uninjured even though he was left on the roadway after the vehicle struck his stroller, according to testimony.

A supporter, a man named in court, was shown being thrown into the air by the car, suffering a cut to the back of his head, rib fractures and multiple abrasions.

The defendant was heard screaming “fuck’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” before ploughing further into screaming supporters, including an elderly woman and children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.

Celebration Descends into Chaos

Speaking to a full court, 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 turned to “terror”, it was said, when the driver entered the crowd as he attempted to pick up a friend from the parade route.

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

Rampage Halted by Heroic Act

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

During questioning, Doyle claimed he reacted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. However, the prosecution argued that the dashcam footage showed the defendant “just lost his temper in his determination to reach his destination”. The prosecutor added: “Consumed by anger, he drove into the crowd and in doing so his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Reckless Behavior Before the Attack

The video showed the driver was driving recklessly prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and jumping red lights. He disregarded road closures and weaved around other vehicles, including an ambulance and police cars, as he entered the crowds.

The defendant is understood to be facing a jail term of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.