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A former Royal Marine was a “person consumed by fury” as he mowed down scores of Liverpool football club supporters at a victory parade, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, a court has heard.

“The footage is profoundly upsetting.”

Those injured of Paul Doyle wept while video from the car’s camera depicted people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Get out of the way!”

Doyle, 54, is due to be sentenced on Tuesday following his guilty plea on the first day of his trial last month to 31 offences involving 21 adults and eight children.

‘A Man in a Rage’

Prosecutors stated those in court that the video evidence from Doyle’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy proved to be “truly shocking”. The recording revealed the father of three shouting “expletives” and “fucking move” as he drove towards a large crowd of supporters, with people frantically dragging children to safety as his car horn blared.

It was stated in court that Doyle was a “individual whose anger whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, speeding up while individuals were struck by his vehicle.

Scale of the Carnage

Overall, the former Royal Marine injured 134 individuals within a mere seven-minute span – with over fifty requiring hospital care. A six-month-old boy was “miraculously” unharmed despite being left splayed on the road after the vehicle struck his stroller, the court heard.

One fan, Simon Nash, was shown being thrown into the air by the vehicle, suffering a laceration on his head, broken ribs and multiple abrasions.

Doyle was heard screaming “for God’s sake move! Get out of my path!” prior to driving deeper into panicked fans, including an elderly woman and children who were dragged under the car.

Celebration Descends into Chaos

Addressing a packed courtroom, lawyers said about 1 million people had attended “what they thought would be a joyous occasion” marking the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “horror”, the prosecutor said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans as he attempted to pick up a friend who had been at the parade.

“Witnesses thought that the events unfolding constituted a terrorist incident.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, Doyle’s rampage was stopped by a former soldier, a man identified in court, who entered the back of the car and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Even then, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, according to evidence.

During questioning, the defendant stated he reacted in a “state of sheer panic” because he feared for his life. However, the prosecution argued that the dashcam footage demonstrated Doyle “simply lost control in his determination to reach his destination”. It was further stated: “Consumed by anger, he targeted the crowd and in doing so he intended to cause them serious harm.”

Reckless Behavior Before the Attack

Footage showed the driver was driving recklessly prior to entering downtown, undertaking cars at speed and jumping red lights. He ignored road closures and weaved around other vehicles, even emergency service vehicles, as he entered the crowds.

Doyle is expected to receive a jail term of more than 10 years when he is sentenced on Tuesday.