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An ex- Royal Marine acted as a “man in a rage” when he drove into dozens of Liverpool football club fans during a victory parade, an incident many initially feared to be a act of terrorism, a court has heard.

“The video is profoundly upsetting.”

Those injured in the incident wept while 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 after pleading guilty at the start of his trial last month to 31 offences involving 21 adults and eight children.

‘Consumed by Anger’

The prosecution stated those in court that the footage from Doyle’s large people carrier proved to be “extremely graphic”. The recording revealed the parent yelling “fucking pricks” and “move out of the way” as he drove towards 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, accelerating while individuals were struck by his vehicle.

Scale of the Carnage

Overall, the former Royal Marine injured 134 people within a mere seven-minute span – with over fifty who needed hospital treatment. An infant was “miraculously” uninjured despite being left splayed on the road when Doyle’s car hit his pram, the court heard.

One fan, Simon Nash, was seen being launched into the air by the car, suffering a cut to the back of his head, rib fractures and numerous scrapes.

The defendant could be heard shouting “fuck’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” prior to driving deeper into screaming supporters, including an elderly woman and children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.

Celebration Descends into Chaos

Speaking to a full court, lawyers said about 1 million people were present at “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate Liverpool winning their 20th league title. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “horror”, it was said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans while trying to collect a companion who had been at the parade.

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

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path was brought to a halt by a former soldier, Dan Barr, who entered the back of the car and forced the gearstick into 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 video 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 his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Reckless Behavior Before the Attack

Footage indicated Doyle was driving recklessly before he reached the city centre, overtaking cars dangerously and jumping red lights. He ignored road closures and bypassed other cars, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.

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