A man has been sentenced to 21 years and six months in prison for deliberately driving his vehicle into a crowd celebrating a football victory, an act described by the presiding judge as one of “inexplicable and undiluted fury.”
The incident occurred during a public parade in Liverpool last May. Footage from the defendant’s vehicle showed him accelerating aggressively into packed streets, striking over 130 people in a span of just two minutes. Authorities stated it was “miraculous” that no one was killed, though many victims sustained life-altering physical injuries and widespread psychological trauma was reported.
During sentencing, the court heard harrowing details of the attack. The judge recounted how the driver hit people head-on, crushed prams, and forced others to flee in terror, causing “horror and devastation on a scale not previously experienced by this court.”
The defendant, a 54-year-old father of three, claimed to police that he acted in a “blind panic,” fearing for his life. This account was dismissed by investigators and the court, with the judge stating video evidence clearly showed actions driven by rage, not fear. Audio from the vehicle captured the driver shouting obscenities at the crowd before impact.
His rampage was ultimately stopped when a bystander, a former soldier, managed to enter the moving car and force it into park. Even then, the driver reportedly kept his foot on the accelerator.
Victim impact statements delivered to the court painted a picture of profound and lasting harm. One 24-year-old woman, a survivor of a previous terror attack, said the event “reopened emotional wounds” and brought back overwhelming feelings of fear and chaos she had worked for years to overcome.
In mitigation, the defense counsel stated his client was “remorseful, ashamed and deeply sorry,” accepting full responsibility for his actions. Friends described the man as “kind, generous and selfless,” finding his behavior on that day “incomprehensible.”
The judge, however, emphasized the deliberate use of the car “as a weapon” and a “disregard for human life” that defied ordinary understanding. The lengthy prison sentence reflects the severity of the crimes committed against 21 adults and eight children, the youngest of whom was just six months old.