Liverpool parade driver ploughed into crowds 'in a rage', prosecutors say ahead of sentencing

A British man who injured more than 130 people by ploughing his car into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans during May's Premier League victory parade did so simply because he lost his temper, prosecutors said on Monday as his sentencing hearing began. Paul Doyle, 54, last month pleaded guilty to 31 charges, including nine of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and 17 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

He appeared in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court as prosecutor Paul Greaney said Doyle had acted "in a rage" when he deliberately drove at people, injuring 134 including eight children, one as young as six months.

Greaney said that "some at the scene thought that what was taking place was a terrorist attack" when Doyle drove his Ford Galaxy car into massed pedestrians on May 26.

But Doyle's actions were "not driven by ideology", Greaney said, adding: "The truth is a simple one: Paul Doyle just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to.

"In a rage, he drove into the crowd and, when he did so, he intended to cause people within the crowd serious harm."

Greaney told the court that around a million people had come out to celebrate Liverpool's 20th English league title, watching an open-top bus parade featuring the team and its staff with the Premier League trophy travel through the city.

Shortly after the Liverpool team had passed in their bus, fans began to make their way home as Doyle was driving into the city centre to pick up friends who had been to the parade.

In the space of two minutes at around 6 pm, Greaney said Doyle "used his vehicle as a weapon" against pedestrians until he finally came to a stop and was arrested.

"He not only caused injury on a large scale, but he also generated horror in those who had attended what they had thought would be a day of joyfulness," Greaney said.

The prosecutor then played "truly shocking" dashcam footage, which showed Doyle shouting angrily at people to move before accelerating into the crowds while beeping his horn. People can be seen hitting the windscreen and being dragged under the vehicle.

Judge Andrew Menary is expected to pass sentence on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Hugh Lawson)