Driver That Drove Through LFC Victory Parade Described as ‘Consumed by Rage’, Court Hears.
A former Royal Marines Commando acted as a “man in a rage” when he mowed down scores of LFC fans at a victory parade, in what many feared was a act of terrorism, a court has heard.
“The video is truly shocking.”
Victims in the incident cried while video from the car’s camera depicted people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Get out of the way!”
Doyle, 54, will learn his fate on Tuesday following his guilty plea at the start of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges involving 29 victims, including eight minors.
‘Consumed by Anger’
The prosecution stated those in court that the footage from the defendant’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy proved to be “extremely graphic”. The recording revealed the parent shouting “expletives” as well as “move out of the way” as he drove towards hundreds of fans, some pulling children out of the way as he blasted the horn.
The court was told that Doyle acted as a “individual whose anger 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
Overall, the former Royal Marine injured 134 individuals within a mere seven-minute span – with over fifty who needed hospital treatment. An infant was “miraculously” unharmed despite being left splayed on the road when Doyle’s car hit his pram, the court heard.
One fan, a man named in court, was shown being thrown into the air by the car, sustaining a cut on his head, rib fractures and numerous scrapes.
The defendant could be heard shouting “for God’s sake move! Get out of my path!” prior to driving deeper into panicked fans, including an elderly woman and children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.
Celebration Descends into Chaos
Addressing a packed courtroom, lawyers said about 1 million people were present at “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” marking the football club’s championship win. Scenes of jubilation turned to “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 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 forced the gearstick into park. Despite this, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, the court heard.
During questioning, Doyle claimed he acted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. Yet, the prosecution argued that the dashcam footage showed the defendant “simply lost control in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. The prosecutor added: “In a rage, he targeted the crowd and as he did so his intent was to cause serious injury.”
Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident
Footage indicated Doyle had been driving dangerously 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 approached the packed streets.
The defendant is understood to be facing a jail term of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.
