🔗 Share this article

A former Royal Marines Commando was a “person consumed by fury” when he mowed down scores of LFC fans at a championship celebration, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, according to court proceedings.

“The video is deeply disturbing.”

Those injured of Paul Doyle wept as video from the car’s camera showed people being thrown into the air as he accelerated into crowds while screaming: “Fucking hell, move!”

Doyle, 54, will learn his fate on Tuesday following his guilty plea at the start of his trial last month to 31 offences against 21 adults and eight children.

‘Consumed by Anger’

Prosecutors warned those in court that the video evidence from Doyle’s large people carrier was “extremely graphic”. It showed the parent yelling “fucking pricks” and “move out of the way” while he headed straight for a large crowd of supporters, some pulling children out of the way as he blasted the horn.

It was stated in court that Doyle acted as 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 people within a mere seven-minute span – including more than 50 requiring hospital care. A six-month-old boy was “miraculously” unharmed even though he was left on the roadway after the vehicle struck his stroller, the court heard.

One fan, a man named in court, was seen being launched into the air by the vehicle, sustaining a laceration to the back of his head, broken ribs and numerous scrapes.

Doyle 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 became trapped beneath the vehicle.

Celebration Descends into Chaos

Speaking to a full court, lawyers said approximately a million individuals had attended “an event they believed to be a joyous occasion” marking the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “horror”, it was said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans while trying to collect a companion who had been at the parade.

“Witnesses believed the events unfolding was a terrorist attack.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

As bodies lay on the ground, Doyle’s rampage was stopped by an ex-army member, a man identified in court, who entered the back of the car and forced the gearstick into park. Even then, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, the court heard.

In his police interview, the defendant claimed he acted in a “state of sheer panic” because he feared for his life. However, the prosecution argued that the video demonstrated the defendant “simply lost control in his determination to reach his destination”. It was further stated: “In a rage, he targeted the crowd and in doing so he intended to cause them serious harm.”

Reckless Behavior Before the Attack

Footage indicated Doyle had been driving dangerously before he reached the city centre, undertaking cars at speed and jumping red lights. He disregarded road closures and weaved around other vehicles, even emergency service vehicles, as he entered the crowds.

Doyle is expected to receive a jail term of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.