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An ex- Royal Marine acted as a “person consumed by fury” as he mowed down dozens of LFC supporters at a victory parade, in what many feared was a act of terrorism, a court has heard.

“The video was truly shocking.”

Those injured of Paul Doyle wept while dashcam footage depicted people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering while screaming: “Fucking hell, move!”

The 54-year-old defendant will learn his fate on Tuesday following his guilty plea on the first day of his trial last month to 31 offences involving 29 victims, including eight minors.

‘A Man in a Rage’

The prosecution warned those in court that the footage from Doyle’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy was “truly shocking”. The recording revealed the father of three yelling “expletives” as well as “move out of the way” as he drove towards a large crowd of supporters, some pulling children out of the way as his car horn blared.

The court was told that Doyle acted as 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

In total, the ex-marine hurt 134 people in just seven minutes – including more than 50 requiring hospital care. A six-month-old boy was “remarkably” uninjured despite being left splayed on the road when Doyle’s car hit his pram, the court heard.

One fan, 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 was heard screaming “fuck’s sake move! Get out of my path!” prior to driving deeper into screaming supporters, including an elderly woman and children who were dragged under the car.

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. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “horror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd while trying to collect a companion from the parade route.

“Witnesses thought that what was taking place constituted a terrorist incident.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, Doyle’s rampage was brought to a halt by a former soldier, Dan Barr, who entered the back of the car and forced the gearstick into park. Despite this, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, according to evidence.

In his police interview, the defendant claimed he acted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. Yet, prosecutors contended that the dashcam footage showed the defendant “simply lost control in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. The prosecutor added: “Consumed by anger, he drove into the crowd and as he did so his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Reckless Behavior Before the Attack

Footage indicated the driver had been driving dangerously prior to entering downtown, undertaking cars at speed and running red lights. He disregarded road closures and weaved around other cars, even emergency service vehicles, as he entered the crowds.

The defendant is expected to receive a prison sentence of more than 10 years when he is sentenced on Tuesday.