The driver suspected of mowing down fans at Liverpool Football Club’s victory parade is a ‘lovely’ family man who runs his own business, it emerged today.
The 53-year-old, who is being quizzed by detectives on suspicion of multiple attempted murders, driving under the influence of drugs and dangerous driving, is married with three teenage children, the Mail can reveal.
Neighbours of the company director – who lives in a smart, £300,000 four-bedroomed detached property on a neat estate – described him as a ‘straight family man’ with ‘well-behaved children’ who must have ‘panicked in the moment.’
‘It’s completely out of character,’ they said. ‘They are a nice family, the boys are well-behaved.
‘He is a fantastic guy. He came over to help us once when our alarm went off. I know he did the same for our immediate neighbours too.
‘It just doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t feel right. Maybe he’s had some kind of a breakdown, maybe he just panicked in the moment?
‘The family is lovely. The whole thing is so sad – for his wife and children and for all those people who were hurt and injured.’
Another local added that he was a ‘nice guy’ and a ‘straight family man.
A car struck fans at up to 30mph near the city’s waterfront, which had been closed to traffic
According to social media, he attended a local university and his wife of 20 years has also regularly posted happy pictures of the family enjoying holidays abroad, including to Disneyland.
Today, two police vans were parked outside the home, in a quiet cul-de-sac in the suburb of West Derby, north of the city centre, and there was no answer at the well-kept property.
Some 79 people were injured, with 50 needing hospital treatment, including a number of children, when a grey Ford Galaxy tailgated an ambulance, which was responding to reports of a fan suffering a heart attack, through a roadblock and ploughed into a large group of supporters walking up Water Street on Monday evening.
The Premier League winners had paraded their trophy along the waterfront, in front of the city’s famous Royal Liver Building, just moments earlier and thousands of supporters were making their way home, to train stations or bars to continue the celebrations.
A flat-bed truck, which had been blocking the road at the junction of Rumford Street, had been moved by private contractors to let emergency services through to treat a member of the public having a suspected cardiac arrest, police have revealed.
Shocking video footage posted online showed supporters banging on the car’s windows before it accelerated and hit fans at speed, causing several to be catapulted off the bonnet and leaving four people trapped under the vehicle’s wheels.
Police pull the 53-year-old driver out of the car after it ploughed through the crowd on Water Street
Jack Trotter , who escaped with injuries to his leg and back, feared his young son would become fatherless as the Ford Galaxy bore down on him
The crowd scramble to bring the car to a stop as bystanders lean into the vehicle
Officers were on the scene within seconds and arrested the driver, who has been in custody ever since.
Detectives were today granted extra time and have until tomorrow to question him. The incident is not being treated as terrorism, officers have stressed.
The Times reported today that ‘horrific’ dashcam footage from the Ford Galaxy was being studied by the investigation team.
Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson, of Merseyside Police, said seven people remained in hospitals across the city, but she added: ‘I’m pleased to say that number is reducing as they continue to recover from the awful incident.
‘We continue to support those still receiving treatment and as part of our ongoing enquiries we are identifying more people who were injured.’
The senior officer said her team of detectives were working to establish the precise circumstances of what happened. It is understood officers are examining CCTV footage from local businesses and also distressing dashcam footage from the suspect’s car itself.
Ms Wilson added: ‘I want to reassure the public of Merseyside that detectives are making significant progress as we seek to establish the full circumstances that led to what happened.’
The force previously said a ‘robust’ traffic management system was in place for the event and Water Street had been closed as part of a rolling road block when the open top bus carrying the team passed by the end of the road.
