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An ex- Royal Marine acted as a “person consumed by fury” as he mowed down dozens of Liverpool football club fans at a victory parade, an incident many initially feared to be a terrorist attack, according to court proceedings.

“The footage is truly shocking.”

Victims of Paul Doyle wept while video from the car’s camera showed people being thrown into the air as he accelerated into crowds while screaming: “Fucking hell, move!”

The 54-year-old defendant is due to be sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty at the start of his trial last month to 31 offences against 29 victims, including eight minors.

‘A Man in a Rage’

The prosecution stated the court that the footage from the defendant’s large people carrier proved to be “extremely graphic”. It showed the father of three yelling “expletives” and “move out of the way” while he headed straight for hundreds of fans, with people frantically dragging children to safety as his car horn blared.

It was stated in court that Doyle was a “man in a rage whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, speeding up as people collided with his car.

Extent of the Injuries

Overall, the former Royal Marine injured 134 individuals in just seven minutes – including more than 50 who needed hospital treatment. A six-month-old boy was “remarkably” uninjured 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 car, suffering a cut to the back of his head, rib fractures 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 became trapped beneath the vehicle.

Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror

Addressing a packed courtroom, lawyers said about 1 million people had attended “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate the football club’s championship win. Scenes of jubilation swiftly became “terror”, it was said, when the driver entered the crowd while trying to collect a companion who had been at the parade.

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

Rampage Halted by Heroic Act

As bodies lay on the ground, Doyle’s rampage was stopped by a former soldier, Dan Barr, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and forced the gearstick into park. Despite this, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, the court heard.

During questioning, Doyle stated he reacted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. However, the prosecution argued that the dashcam footage demonstrated Doyle “simply lost control 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.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

Footage showed the driver had been driving dangerously before he reached the city centre, overtaking cars dangerously and jumping 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 understood to be facing a prison sentence of more than 10 years at his sentencing hearing.