'I've just ruined my family’s life': Liverpool parade suspect Paul Doyle's words to police as families speak of 'fear' in wake of tragedy

Paul Doyle wept as he was shown footage of the day he injured over 100 people after he drove his Ford Galaxy Titanium into crowds.

He was arrested and later charged with 31 offences relating to seriously injuring people during the victory parade in the city on May 26.

Following the rampage, Doyle told officers in the back of a police van: "I’ve just ruined my family’s life."

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Appearing at the city's crown court on Monday, Doyle put his head down and shutting his eyes as the footage showed his car hitting crowds of supporters on Water Street just after 6pm.

The footage, which will not be released because of its graphic nature, showed the windscreen smash after a man landed on it.

Others could be seen on the bonnet of the car as Doyle continued to drive and people, including children, appeared to go under the vehicle.

Prosecutors said in the space of two minutes, his Ford Galaxy, which weighed nearly two tonnes, collided with "well over 100 people."

The court also heard Doyle was "prepared to cause those in the crowd, even children, serious harm if necessary to achieve his aim of getting through."

Doyle admitted dangerous driving, affray, 17 charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, nine counts of causing GBH with intent, and three counts of wounding with intent last month.

He had previously denied the offences, which relate to 29 victims aged between six months and 77 years.

The court was told a man named Daniel Barr, labelled a "hero" by prosecutors, had jumped into the back of Doyle’s Galaxy and placed the vehicle into park.

Mr Barr was in the back seat of the car for the last 16 seconds of its movement and told police that as he walked up Water Street, he saw the Galaxy in the distance and noted that the crowd's attitude suddenly changed from "joyful to desperate" and saw people "flying into the air."

Horrifying dashcam footage was displayed to the court on the first day of his sentencing hearing, with the defendant heard shouting "move" "f****** p*****' and "get out the f****** way."

Pedestrians pulled their children out of the path of the car to stop them being hit, and the footage showed the windscreen smash after a man landed on it.

Paul Greaney KC said: "The strong sense from the dashcam footage is that the defendant regarded himself as the most important person on Dale Street, and considered that everyone else needed to get out of his way so that he could get to where he wanted to get to.

The court was played multiple clips of the incident, which the prosecutor described as "particularly shocking" adding: "The prosecution case is what we are seeing there is a man in a rage, whose anger had completely taken hold of him."

Addressing the motive, Mr Greaney continued: "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.

"He was prepared to cause those in the crowd, even children, serious harm if necessary to achieve his aim of getting through.

"So the truth is as simple as the consequences that day were awful."

He added: "Where this leaves us is that nothing which occurred can be explained to any extent on the basis of immaturity of age, inexperience in driving generally, unfamiliarity with the vehicle or any defect with the Galaxy.

"Furthermore, the footage demonstrates that the defendant was conscious throughout, so a medical explanation can be discounted.

"The upshot of all of this is, as the defendant has now accepted, that he did what he did intentionally."

Mr Greaney continued: "This was, it should be categorically stated, not a terrorist attack."

The youngest victim was six-month-old Teddy Eveson, whose parents later told media he was thrown approximately 15 feet down the road in his pram when the crash happened.

Doyle, of Croxteth, Liverpool, admitted attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to the baby. Five other children, whom Doyle either injured or attempted to injure, cannot be named for legal reasons.

In interview, the court heard, Paul Doyle said he had taken his friend and his family into Liverpool city centre for the parade and returned to pick him up.

In victim statements read out by prosecutors, Jack Trotter said he had to quit football at the age of 23 and was unable to do things he used to do with his three-year-old son.

Mr Trotter said: "In the days and weeks following the incident, life was a struggle. I needed support with all aspects of my daily living.

"I was unable to shower or dress myself without my fiancee, Abbie’s help. Learning to walk again has been a long and often painful process."

Meanwhile, Scott Dolan, 36, who suffered knee, back and hand injuries, said he had "lost months of my life not being able to do things I love to do" and was off work for about two months.

His statement read: "I’ve had flashbacks from time to time. I feel anxious when the incident is brought up in conversation and I now have a reluctance to travel into Liverpool city centre."

Jessica Fawcett, 21, said she had quit her job as a nursery worker and said: "The emotional and psychological injury is also still with me, and I don’t yet know what the full impact of this will be."

Doyle told officers when on Dale Street he had beeped at a parked car and a man with ginger hair had become "very, very aggressive" with him and opened the door to his vehicle.

He then claimed the door was pulled open again and when he looked to the right he saw a group of men with a knife and said he was hit with a bottle or glass: "I thought I was going to get stabbed. I was genuinely scared."

He told officers he drove into oncoming pedestrians because he thought he would be dragged out of his car.

He said he was driving slowly when his rear window was smashed and someone had a hand around his throat, and that he could not see properly because alcohol had been thrown into his eyes.

The court was adjourned shortly before 4pm on Monday and will resume on Tuesday at 10.30am.