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A former Royal Marines Commando acted as a “person consumed by fury” when he mowed down dozens of Liverpool football club fans during a victory parade, in what many feared was a act of terrorism, a court has heard.

“The footage was truly shocking.”

Those injured of Paul Doyle wept as video from the car’s camera depicted bodies spinning through the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Fucking hell, move!”

The 54-year-old defendant is due to be sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty on the first day of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges involving 21 adults and eight children.

‘Consumed by Anger’

Prosecutors stated the court that the video evidence from Doyle’s large people carrier was “truly shocking”. The recording revealed the father of three shouting “expletives” as well as “move out of the way” as he drove towards hundreds of fans, with people frantically dragging children to safety as his car horn blared.

The court was told that Doyle acted as a “individual whose anger had completely overpowered him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, speeding up while individuals were struck by his vehicle.

Scale of the Carnage

In total, 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” uninjured even though he was left on the roadway when Doyle’s car hit his pram, the court heard.

A supporter, Simon Nash, was seen being launched into the air by the car, suffering a laceration on his head, broken ribs and numerous scrapes.

The defendant could be heard shouting “for God’s sake move! Get out of my path!” before ploughing further into panicked fans, including an elderly woman and children who were dragged under the car.

Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror

Addressing a packed courtroom, lawyers said approximately a million individuals were present at “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” marking the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “terror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd while trying to collect a companion from the parade route.

“Some at the scene thought that what was taking place constituted a terrorist incident.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path was stopped by an ex-army member, Dan Barr, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and forced the gearstick into park. Despite this, 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. Yet, the prosecution argued that the video showed Doyle “just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. It was further stated: “In a rage, he targeted the crowd and in doing so he intended to cause them serious harm.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

Footage indicated Doyle had been driving dangerously before he reached the city centre, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He disregarded road closures and weaved around other vehicles, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.

Doyle is understood to be facing a prison sentence of more than 10 years when he is sentenced on Tuesday.