On Air Now

This is the Coast

Midnight - 6:00am

  • 01723 336444

Now Playing

Will Young

All Time Love

Download

Liverpool trophy parade victim tells of 'carnage' as Paul Doyle ploughed into crowds

A Liverpool fan has told how he thought he was caught up in a terrorist attack when a former Royal Marine drove into crowds at the club's victory parade.

Rob Darke, 62, was left with a "life-changing injury" after being hit by Paul Doyle's Ford Galaxy Titanium on 26 May.

He had gone to celebrate Liverpool's Premier League title win with his two sons, but told Sky News how the "fantastic day turned into a nightmare" as he made his way home from the open-top bus parade.

In an exclusive interview, he said he heard "shouting and screaming" and "people coming flying towards me" and then "bang".

"I just stepped off the curb and the car wheel crushed my foot," he said, describing the pain as "absolutely incredible" as the skin was ripped from his heel.

"I thought it was terrorists," he said. "That's the first thing that came into my head. Who else would do a thing like that?"

"There were people lying about all over the place. It was like a bomb had gone off... it was carnage everywhere... people crying and screaming."

Mr Darke said he could hear "thumps from the car as people were being run over", adding: "It was horrific."

More than 130 people reported injuries after Doyle drove into crowds in Water Street just after 6pm. He was arrested at the scene.

Doyle pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to 31 charges, relating to 29 victims, aged between six months and 77 years old, including eight who were children at the time.

He admitted a charge of wounding with intent relating to Mr Darke, who says he was taken to hospital to be "stitched up" after the attack.

Read more: This is what happened and when

'Life or limb'

But he was left in "excruciating pain" when the injury became infected, and later needed to be rushed to A&E, where "it was life or limb".

Mr Darke said he was in a wheelchair for three months and had been left with a "life-changing injury" and is undergoing counselling for PTSD.

He said: "Out of one-and-a-half million people, why did it have to be me?"

He said father-of-three Doyle made "all the wrong choices" when he "decided he was going to plough into people", including women and children.

"How on earth could you do that? It's just beyond any comprehension," he added.

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2025: Liverpool trophy parade victim tells of 'carnage' as Paul Doyle ploughed into crowds

Did you find this article useful?

This is the Coast is committed to providing a daily local news service for the Yorkshire Coast. We are a small locally owned and operated business which employs professional journalists and reporters. We do not receive any public funding or grants and we are entirely funded by our local commercial operations. We enjoy fabulous support from local businesses who work with us on their advertising and marketing campaigns, but the cost of providing high quality, well researched, fact checked local news coverage is significant.

If you appreciate what This is the Coast does, and would like to help support our journalism, please consider supporting us on a monthly basis today.

A small contribution from all our readers would really help support independent journalism for the Yorkshire Coast.

More from National News

Follow Us

Get Our Apps

Our Apps are now available for iOS, Android and Smart Speakers.

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play
  • Just ask Amazon Alexa
  • Available on Roku

Today's Weather

  • Scarborough

    Light rain

    High: 14°C | Low: 7°C

  • Filey

    Light rain

    High: 14°C | Low: 8°C

  • Whitby

    Light rain

    High: 14°C | Low: 7°C

  • Bridlington

    Light rain

    High: 14°C | Low: 7°C

  • Hornsea

    Light rain

    High: 13°C | Low: 7°C

  • Driffield

    Light rain

    High: 14°C | Low: 7°C

News