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A former Royal Marines Commando acted as a “person consumed by fury” when he drove into scores of Liverpool football club fans at a championship celebration, an incident many initially feared to be a terrorist attack, a court has heard.

“The footage was profoundly upsetting.”

Victims of Paul Doyle cried while dashcam footage depicted bodies spinning through the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Fucking hell, move!”

Doyle, 54, is due to be sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty at the start of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges against 21 adults and eight children.

‘A Man in a Rage’

Prosecutors stated those in court that the video evidence from the defendant’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy proved to be “truly shocking”. It showed the parent shouting “expletives” and “move out of the way” while he headed straight for 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 ploughed further into the crowd, speeding up as people collided with his car.

Extent of the Injuries

In total, the former Royal Marine injured 134 individuals in just seven minutes – including more than 50 who needed hospital treatment. An infant was “miraculously” uninjured despite being left splayed on the road after the vehicle struck his stroller, according to testimony.

One fan, Simon Nash, was seen being launched into the air by the car, suffering a cut on his head, rib fractures and numerous scrapes.

Doyle was heard screaming “for God’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” prior to driving deeper into panicked fans, including an elderly woman and children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.

Celebration Descends into Chaos

Addressing a packed courtroom, lawyers said approximately a million individuals had attended “what they thought would be a joyous occasion” to celebrate Liverpool winning their 20th league title. Scenes of jubilation turned to “horror”, the prosecutor said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans as he attempted to pick up a friend who had been at the parade.

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

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

As bodies lay on the ground, the vehicle’s path was brought to a halt by a former soldier, a man identified in court, 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, Doyle claimed he reacted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. Yet, the prosecution argued that the video demonstrated the defendant “simply lost control in his determination to reach his destination”. The prosecutor added: “In a rage, he targeted the crowd and in doing so he intended to cause them serious harm.”

Reckless Behavior Before the Attack

The video indicated the driver had been driving dangerously before he reached the city centre, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He ignored traffic diversion measures and bypassed other cars, even emergency service vehicles, as he approached the packed streets.

The defendant is understood to be facing a jail term of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.