Ex-marine who drove into parade crowd was 'enraged

An ex-Royal Marine drove his car into a crowd of people attending Liverpool football club's victory parade in a rage, using the 1.9-tonne Ford Galaxy as a weapon to strike more than 100 supporters in a two-minute rampage, a court heard.

- ALEX ROSS

Harrowing footage played to Liverpool Crown Court showed Paul Doyle, described as a 54-year-old family man, accelerate into the horrified crowd while shouting “Get out of the fucking way”. When the vehicle finally stopped, after injuring a total of 134 people, CCTV showed supporters and police swarm in on Doyle, who after his arrest told officers: “I’ve just ruined my family’s life.”

Doyle, of West Derby in Liverpool, appeared tearful in the dock as video footage of the Liverpool parade on 26 May was played at the start of his sentencing hearing yesterday. Last month, he sobbed as he pleaded guilty to 31 charges, including dangerous driving, affray, 17 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH), nine counts of causing GBH with intent, and three counts of wounding with intent.

During a highly charged hearing attended by victims, the court heard that:

• Doyle lost his temper as he attempted to pick up a friend from the parade

• Hero ex-soldier Daniel Barr helped to stop the vehicle by jumping inside it

• The devastated mother of the youngest victim thought her son was dead

• Doyle claimed that “drunken loons” had threatened him before the attack

The packed-out courtroom, just an eight-minute walk from the location of Doyle’s attack, heard from dozens of victims through impact statements. Many claimed still to be suffering from the physical and mental injuries they sustained on the fateful day.