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A former Royal Marine was a “man in a rage” as he drove into scores of Liverpool football club fans during a championship celebration, an incident many initially feared to be a act of terrorism, a court has heard.

“The video was deeply disturbing.”

Those injured of Paul Doyle cried as video from the car’s camera showed bodies spinning through the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Get out of the way!”

Doyle, 54, will learn his fate on Tuesday following his guilty plea on the first day of his trial last month to 31 offences against 21 adults and eight children.

‘Consumed by Anger’

Prosecutors warned those in court that the video evidence from Doyle’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy proved to be “extremely graphic”. It showed the father of three yelling “fucking pricks” 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 “individual whose anger had completely overpowered him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, accelerating as people collided with his car.

Extent of the Injuries

Overall, the ex-marine hurt 134 individuals in just seven minutes – including more than 50 who needed hospital treatment. An infant was “remarkably” unharmed even though he was left on the roadway after the vehicle struck his stroller, the court heard.

One fan, a man named in court, was shown being thrown into the air by the vehicle, suffering a cut to the back of his head, broken ribs and numerous scrapes.

Doyle was heard screaming “fuck’s sake move! Get out of my path!” before ploughing further into panicked fans, among them an older woman and young children who were dragged under the car.

Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror

Addressing a packed courtroom, lawyers said approximately a million individuals were present at “an event they believed to be a joyous occasion” marking Liverpool winning their 20th league title. Scenes of jubilation turned to “horror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd while trying to collect a companion from the parade route.

“Some at the scene believed the events unfolding constituted a terrorist incident.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, Doyle’s rampage was stopped by an ex-army member, Dan Barr, who entered the back of the car and forced the gearstick into park. Despite this, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, the court heard.

In his police interview, the defendant stated he reacted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. Yet, 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 drove into the crowd and in doing so he intended to cause them serious harm.”

Reckless Behavior Before the Attack

Footage showed the driver had been driving dangerously prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and running red lights. He ignored road closures and bypassed other vehicles, even emergency service vehicles, as he entered the crowds.

The defendant is understood to be facing a prison sentence of over a decade when he is sentenced on Tuesday.