An ex- Royal Marines Commando acted as a “man in a rage” when he drove into scores of LFC fans at a victory parade, an incident many initially feared to be a act of terrorism, according to court proceedings.
“The video is profoundly upsetting.”
Victims of Paul Doyle cried while dashcam footage depicted bodies spinning through the air while he sped towards the gathering while screaming: “Fucking hell, move!”
Doyle, 54, will learn his fate on Tuesday after pleading guilty at the start of his trial last month to 31 offences against 21 adults and eight children.
Prosecutors warned the court that the video evidence from the defendant’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy proved to be “truly shocking”. The recording revealed the father of three yelling “expletives” as well as “move out of the way” while he headed straight for a large crowd of supporters, some pulling children out of the way as his car horn blared.
It was stated in court that Doyle was a “individual whose anger whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he ploughed further into the crowd, accelerating while individuals were struck by his vehicle.
Overall, the former Royal Marine injured 134 individuals in just seven minutes – including more than 50 who needed hospital treatment. A six-month-old boy was “remarkably” unharmed despite being left splayed on the road after the vehicle struck his stroller, the court heard.
One fan, Simon Nash, was shown being thrown into the air by the car, suffering a laceration on his head, rib fractures and multiple abrasions.
The defendant could be heard shouting “fuck’s sake move! Get out of my path!” before ploughing further into screaming supporters, among them an older woman and young children who were dragged under the car.
Speaking to a full court, lawyers 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”, it was said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans as he attempted to pick up a friend who had been at the parade.
“Witnesses believed what was taking place constituted a terrorist incident.”
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”. Even then, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, the court heard.
During questioning, the defendant stated he acted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. However, the prosecution argued that the dashcam footage demonstrated Doyle “just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. The prosecutor added: “Consumed by anger, he targeted the crowd and in doing so his intent was to cause serious injury.”
The video indicated Doyle was driving recklessly before he reached the city centre, undertaking cars at speed and jumping red lights. He ignored road closures and bypassed other cars, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.
The defendant is expected to receive a prison sentence of more than 10 years at his sentencing hearing.
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