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A former Royal Marine was a “man in a rage” when he mowed down scores of LFC supporters during a victory parade, an incident many initially feared to be a act of terrorism, according to court proceedings.

“The video was profoundly upsetting.”

Victims of Paul Doyle cried while video from the car’s camera depicted people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering while screaming: “Get out of the way!”

The 54-year-old defendant is due to be sentenced on Tuesday following his guilty plea on the first day of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges involving 21 adults and eight children.

‘A Man in a Rage’

The prosecution warned those in court that the video evidence from the defendant’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy was “extremely graphic”. The recording revealed the parent shouting “expletives” and “fucking move” as he drove towards hundreds of fans, some pulling children out of the way 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, accelerating as people collided with his car.

Extent of the Injuries

In total, the ex-marine injured 134 individuals within a mere seven-minute span – with over fifty who needed hospital treatment. A six-month-old boy was “remarkably” unharmed despite being left splayed on the road when Doyle’s car hit his pram, the court heard.

A supporter, Simon Nash, was shown being thrown into the air by the car, suffering a laceration on his head, broken ribs and numerous scrapes.

Doyle could be heard shouting “fuck’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” 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

Speaking to a full court, lawyers said approximately a million individuals had attended “what they thought would be a joyous occasion” to celebrate the football club’s championship win. Scenes of jubilation 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 the events unfolding was a terrorist attack.”

Rampage Halted by Heroic Act

With injured people on the street, 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 held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Despite this, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, according to evidence.

During questioning, Doyle claimed he acted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. However, the prosecution argued that the dashcam footage showed 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 as he did so he intended to cause them serious harm.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

Footage showed the driver was driving recklessly prior to entering downtown, overtaking cars dangerously and jumping red lights. He disregarded road closures and weaved around other cars, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.

Doyle is expected to receive a prison sentence of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.