Dashcam footage of Paul Doyle driving into crowds at a Liverpool title parade in May reveals he swore at people. The prosecution says he just lost his temper and only a “hero” pedestrian stopped his rampage.
Paul Doyle, 54, will be sentenced on Tuesday after admitting to driving into Liverpool FC fans.
Paul Greaney KC tells the court what Paul Doyle said when first questioned by police officers after the attack.
The defendant’s suggestion that he was unable to see properly while driving down Dale Street was false, the prosecutor tells the court.
He adds that Doyle did not black out at any point and was operating the vehicle “throughout” the attack.
Doyle’s claim that he drove carefully after passing traffic management cones “is not a suggestion that bears the slightest scrutiny,” the prosecutor also says.
Doyle also claimed there were no police officers in the vicinit that day, when in fact he had driven past police vans and struck a female police officer.
Greaney adds: “The defendant gave a false and distorted account in that first interview.”
Court hears array of injuries sustained by victims after attack
Paul Greaney KC now details some of the injuries sustained by victims on the day of the attack.
One woman, aged 66 on the day of the parade, spent four nights in hospital after breaking six ribs and suffering fractures to her fingers on her left hand and her left wrist.
Another woman, aged 77 on the day of the attack, spent 27 days in hospital.
She, the prosecutor says, suffered a fractured left forearm, fractured left collar bone, three fractured ribs, a fractured pelvis, a broken nose, plus multiple abrasions and bruising to her head, knees and back.
Her victim statement spoke of her ongoing physical and psychological suffering as a result of the attack.
Another victim, who was 17 at the time of the attack, suffered bruising to their legs, shoulder and had a small fracture to their tibia.
After suffering wound infections, it took two months before the victim regained mobility, the prosecutor adds.
Victims off work for months and now afraid of crowds, court hears
The impact of Paul Doyle’s attack on more victims is being heard in court now.
One man suffered a laceration to the back of his head that had to be glued, as well as sustaining four fractured ribs, Paul Greaney KC says.
The victim was off work for four months after the attack and spoke of facing immense physical and psychological trauma.
Jacqueline McClaren, 60, suffered a fractured left ankle after being hit by Paul Doyle’s car.
She said she had developed a fear of crowded spaces since the attack, the prosecutor says.
Long-term effects of attack revealed by statements from victims
The court is now hearing a series of victim impact statements.
The first is from a 23-year-old man who says his life was a “struggle” in the days and weeks following the attack.
He says he was unable to shower or dress himself, and that “learning to walk again has been a long and painful process”.
He adds that he had to spend five weeks off work, “receiving only £81 a week in sick pay”.
“The incident negatively impacted my role as a father,” the statement adds.
“I was unable to do all the normal things a father and son can do. I felt like I was losing my connection with my son.”
He adds that he has now been forced to stop playing football, which he describes as his “passion and identity since I was young”.
‘Worst day of my life’: Child, 12, says they have ‘never been so scared’ in statement to court
Another statement has just been read out, this time on behalf of a 12-year-old victim.
“It started off as the best day ever. I was so excited to hear my heroes. But soon, the day changed to the worst day of my life,” their statement says.
It goes on to say they ended up on the floor having been hit by a car and that they had “never been so scared” in their life.
“All I can recall afterwards is people screaming and panicking,” the child adds.
The statement goes on to say that they developed a fear of crowded places since the attack and “gets a fright” whenever they hear a car horn.
“I don’t understand why the man in the car has done this to me and my mum,” it continues.
Girl, 10, made comments about about parents dying after attacks, court hears
A statement from the mother of another child, this time a 10-year-old girl, has been read to the court.
She says her daughter wanted her to sleep in her bed after the attack, and “would make comments about me or her dad dying”.
The girl had been referred to child mental health services and had developed “an irrational fear” of dogs, while she had also reacted badly to red flares at a festival attended by the family this summer.
Woman left with ‘anxiety through the roof’
The victim imapct statements are still being read in court – we’ve just heard that one 52-year-old victim said that while her physical injuries have healed, she is still struggling with the mental repercussions of the attack.
As a result, she said that her anxiety is “through the roof” and that she recently burst into tears at the sound of a noisy car.
Another victim, named as 21-year-old Jessica Fawcett, says her injuries have left her struggling to walk for long periods.
She says she does not yet know what the full impact of the attack will be on her, both emotionally and psychologically.
“I no longer feel safe near cars or roads. I have become isolated, and I feel consistently down and fed up.”
‘I was seeing bodies flying here, there and everywhere’
In another statement, a 41-year-old man says the parade attack was the “worst experience of my life” and had made his job as a driver “scary”.
Jeremy Pentecost’s victim impact statement read:
“Work affected my mental health, driving around all day on my own – at first I was seeing bodies flying here, there and everywhere, unable to stop thinking about the events of the day.”
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