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An ex- Royal Marines Commando was a “person consumed by fury” when he drove into dozens of Liverpool football club fans during a victory parade, in what many feared was a act of terrorism, a court has heard.

“The video was profoundly upsetting.”

Those injured of Paul Doyle wept as video from the car’s camera depicted bodies spinning through the air as he accelerated into crowds while screaming: “Get out of the way!”

Doyle, 54, will learn his fate on Tuesday following his guilty plea at the start of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges against 29 victims, including eight minors.

‘A Man in a Rage’

Prosecutors stated those in court that the footage from Doyle’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy was “extremely graphic”. The recording revealed the father of three shouting “expletives” and “fucking move” as he drove towards a large crowd of supporters, some pulling children out of the way as he blasted the horn.

The court was told that Doyle acted as a “individual whose anger whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, accelerating as people collided with his car.

Scale of the Carnage

Overall, the former Royal Marine hurt 134 individuals in just seven minutes – with over fifty who needed hospital treatment. A six-month-old boy was “miraculously” uninjured even though he was left on the roadway after the vehicle struck his stroller, the court heard.

A supporter, Simon Nash, was shown being thrown into the air by the car, suffering a laceration to the back of his head, rib fractures and numerous scrapes.

Doyle could be heard shouting “fuck’s sake move! Get out of my path!” before ploughing further into panicked fans, among them an older woman and young children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.

Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror

Speaking to a full court, lawyers said approximately a million individuals had attended “an event they believed to be a joyous occasion” marking the football club’s championship win. Scenes of jubilation turned to “terror”, it was said, when the driver entered the crowd as he attempted to pick up a friend from the parade route.

“Some at the scene believed the events unfolding was a terrorist attack.”

Rampage Halted by Heroic Act

With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path was stopped by a former soldier, Dan Barr, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and forced the gearstick into park. Even then, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, the court heard.

In his police interview, the defendant claimed he acted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. However, prosecutors contended that the video demonstrated the defendant “just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. The prosecutor added: “Consumed by anger, he targeted the crowd and as he did so his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Reckless Behavior Before the Attack

The video showed Doyle was driving recklessly prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He ignored traffic diversion measures and bypassed other vehicles, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.

The defendant is expected to receive a jail term of more than 10 years at his sentencing hearing.