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A former Royal Marine acted as a “man in a rage” when he mowed down dozens of LFC supporters at a championship celebration, an incident many initially feared to be 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 people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Get out of the way!”

Doyle, 54, is due to be sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty at the start of his trial last month to 31 offences involving 29 victims, including eight minors.

‘Consumed by Anger’

Prosecutors warned those in court that the video evidence from Doyle’s large people carrier was “extremely graphic”. The recording revealed the parent yelling “fucking pricks” as well as “move out of the way” as he drove towards hundreds of fans, with people frantically dragging children to safety 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, speeding up as people collided with his car.

Scale of the Carnage

In total, the ex-marine hurt 134 individuals within a mere seven-minute span – including more than 50 who needed hospital treatment. An infant was “remarkably” uninjured even though he was left on the roadway after the vehicle struck his stroller, the court heard.

One fan, Simon Nash, was shown being thrown into the air by the car, sustaining a cut on his head, broken ribs and numerous scrapes.

The defendant could be heard shouting “for God’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” prior to driving deeper into panicked fans, including an elderly woman and children who were dragged under the car.

Celebration Descends into Chaos

Speaking to a full court, the prosecution said about 1 million people were present at “what they thought would 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 as he attempted to pick up a friend from the parade route.

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

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path was stopped by an ex-army member, a man identified in court, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Even then, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, the court heard.

During questioning, the defendant claimed he acted in a “state of sheer panic” because he feared for his life. Yet, the prosecution argued that the dashcam footage demonstrated the defendant “just lost his temper in his determination to reach his destination”. The prosecutor added: “In a rage, he drove into the crowd and in doing so his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

The video showed Doyle had been driving dangerously before he reached the city centre, undertaking cars at speed and running red lights. He ignored road closures and weaved around other vehicles, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.

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