Man who stopped Paul Doyle says he ‘isn’t a hero’
1 hour agoJonny HumphriesandRowan Bridge,North West
BBCThe man whose instinctive act stopped the car that injured 134 fans at the Liverpool FC victory parade has insisted he was “not a hero”.
Dan Barr, 41, managed to get inside the automatic Ford Galaxy and forced its gear selector into ‘park’ mode as driver Paul Doyle tried to accelerate further into the dense crowd of pedestrians on Liverpool’s Water Street.
Mr Barr, a former solider, described the “horrendous” sight of seeing victims pleading in vain for Doyle, 54, to stop, and told the BBC: “I’m not the same since that day.”
Despite being hailed for his bravery by police and prosecutors, Mr Barr said being called a hero makes him “cringe” and added: “Every man that I seen was trying to do the same.”
Earlier Doyle, from Croxteth in Liverpool, was jailed for 21 years and six months at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting 31 offences including causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent.
The court head Doyle, an IT networking engineer and former Royal Marine, was motivated by nothing other than “blind rage” as he grew frustrated about being unable to get through the crowds while on his way to pick up a friend.
His victims ranged in age from six-month-old Teddy Eveson, whose pram was knocked to the ground, to 77-year-old Susan Passey who was trapped under the wheels of the car.
Liverpool fan Mr Barr, from Birkenhead in Wirral, had watched the parade on the city’s waterfront and found himself in the throngs of people heading back to the city centre along Water Street, shortly before 18:00 BST.
The former Royal Engineer said he noticed an ambulance trying to get through the dense crowd and moved to the right of where it was heading.
Mr Barr said his memory of what happened next is “blurry”, but he described seeing the roof of a dark coloured car “snaking through” the crowd, knocking people into the air as it got closer to where he was standing.
“I just remember for some reason, I don’t know why, but his vehicle stopped for a bit,” he said.
Mr Barr said realised he had a clear path to the rear left hand side door and instinctively ran towards the car.
“There was already other men at different positions around the car trying to get in, desperately trying to punch their way in,” he said.
“Just the sheer desperation of the situation, you knew it wasn’t over.”
CPSMr Barr said he assumed the car doors would be locked and braced himself to try and punch the window through.
However at the last moment he tried the door handle, and was able to open it and climb inside.
However as Mr Barr climbed into the back seat Doyle accelerated forwards and the door slammed shut.
“We’ve gone from total chaos – panic, screaming – to relative silence as he’s accelerated off,” he said.
“Then you can just hear the people being hit and run over, like ten-pin bowling, pretty horrendous. I could see everything from where I was.
“I could see people’s faces, I could see the looks of just, like they were trying to plead but wasting their time.
“That’s all that they could do, there was nowhere to go, nowhere to get out of the way for them.”
Mr Barr said at that stage he desperately searched for a way to stop the car, and noticed the gearstick in drive mode.
He reached between the front seats and jammed it forwards to park mode.
“Things are fuzzy but I kept my hand on there,” he said.
“Nothing would have moved my arm, no way.”
With the car not able to accelerate and with injured victims trapped under the wheels, Doyle’s rampage was over.
As the vehicle came to a stop other people shattered the windows and tried to drag Doyle out, which they succeeded in doing after Mr Barr reached forward and released the driver’s seatbelt.
Detectives viewing dashcam footage from within Doyle’s vehicle have said they believe Doyle may not have been aware of Mr Barr’s presence in the car.
The labourer said he is unsure.
“I find it a very interesting question,” he said.
“He was repeating the same thing over and over, ‘why won’t they move out my way?’
“Was he asking me? Was that a statement? I don’t know.”
‘I’m not the same’
Although he escaped with a minor cut to his head, Mr Barr said the psychological impact of 26 May is ongoing.
“I don’t think I have processed it, to be honest with you,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean that I don’t think I ever will be, but I’m not the same since that day.
“Big things don’t bother me, it’s little things. Little things are starting to agitate me every day.
“I’m different in work, I struggle to take on instruction, I struggle to watch telly, take things on board. I’ll have to keep rewinding it. It’s mad.
“I don’t really know what I’m saying, I’m just not myself, I’m very forgetful.”
PA MediaMr Barr said despite having been in the army for eight years, including tours in Iraq where his role was searching for improvised explosive devices (IEDs), he rarely talked about his service.
However he said the impact of what happened on Water Street and concern from his family and friends has led him to seek professional help.
When asked about people describing him as “brave” or “heroic”, he said: “It makes my toes curl to be honest with you…
“If they could have, who wouldn’t have done what I did?”
The man charged with leading the investigation into the Water Street attack, Det Ch Insp John Fitzgerald, however, had a different view.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Doyle would have continued to drive and cause further injuries had Daniel not acted with such bravery.” he said.
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