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An ex- Royal Marine acted as a “man in a rage” as he mowed down dozens of Liverpool football club fans during a championship celebration, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, according to court proceedings.

“The video is truly shocking.”

Victims of Paul Doyle wept as dashcam footage showed bodies spinning through the air as he accelerated into crowds and shouted: “Fucking hell, move!”

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

‘A Man in a Rage’

Prosecutors stated those in court that the video evidence from the defendant’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy was “extremely graphic”. It showed the father of three shouting “expletives” as well as “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 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 while individuals were struck by his vehicle.

Extent of the Injuries

Overall, the former Royal Marine injured 134 people in just seven minutes – including more than 50 who needed hospital treatment. An infant was “miraculously” unharmed even though he was left on the roadway when Doyle’s car hit his pram, the court heard.

One fan, Simon Nash, was seen being launched into the air by the car, sustaining a laceration on his head, rib fractures and multiple abrasions.

Doyle could be heard shouting “for God’s sake move! Get out of my path!” before ploughing further into panicked fans, among them an older woman and young children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.

Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror

Addressing a packed courtroom, lawyers said approximately a million individuals were present at “what they thought would be a day of joyfulness” marking the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere turned to “terror”, 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 thought that what was taking place constituted a terrorist incident.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, Doyle’s rampage was stopped by a former soldier, Dan Barr, who entered the back of the car and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Even then, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, according to evidence.

In his police interview, Doyle claimed he reacted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. Yet, prosecutors contended that the dashcam footage demonstrated the defendant “just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. The prosecutor added: “In a rage, he drove into 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 prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He ignored traffic diversion measures and weaved around other cars, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.

Doyle is expected to receive a jail term of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.