Driver who hit Liverpool parade said to have had history of explosive violence

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The judge, Andrew Menary KC, said his actions caused “horror and devastation on a scale not previously experienced by this court”.The Guardian can now reveal that the father of three, described as a mild-mannered “family man”, is said to have had a history of explosive violent outbursts long before the victory parade on 26 May.Someone who served with Doyle in the Royal Marines in the early 1990s described how he was known “really, really quickly to be an absolute live wire”.“It was like he was on a tripwire,” the former marine said. “He was just out drinking with everyone and he’d just be filling people in,” said one former marine.

“He had zero escalation – he was just on the tripwire.”He said Doyle became an “outcast” in his troop before he left the marines in 1993: “Normal people would give him a wide berth. They don’t want to be around some sort of lunatic Tasmanian devil who’s trying to knock everyone out who bumps into him.”It is understood that Doyle was discharged by the marines after four years following the convictions, when he was told his “service was no longer required”.

The Ministry of Defence declined to comment.In the 30 years since he was released from prison in May 1995, Doyle had “taken steps to lead a positive and productive life”, the prosecutor Paul Greaney KC said on Friday.He is understood to have previously worked for an NHS trust and a large UK wealth management firm before running two now-dissolved companies – one of which involved headwear inspired by the actor Vin Diesel.Doyle, an Everton fan, lived with his wife and three sons in a smart detached home in Croxteth, 6 miles from Liverpool city centre.Such was the ferocity of Doyle’s actions, many in the crowd thought they were in the middle of a terrorist attack. It was by far the biggest mass-casualty incident of his 36 years at the charity.Over two days at Liverpool crown court, 78 of Doyle’s victims spoke of their life-changing physical and psychological injuries.The mother of a boy who cannot be identified said he woke up crying from the nightmares, was anxious about the scar on his face and a bald patch on his head.