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An ex- Royal Marine was a “man in a rage” when he mowed down dozens of Liverpool football club fans during a victory parade, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, a court has heard.

“The video was profoundly upsetting.”

Those injured in the incident cried while dashcam footage depicted people being thrown into the air as he accelerated into crowds and shouted: “Fucking hell, move!”

The 54-year-old defendant is due to be sentenced on Tuesday following his guilty plea at the start of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges involving 29 victims, including eight minors.

‘Consumed by Anger’

The prosecution stated the court that the video evidence from Doyle’s large people carrier was “extremely graphic”. The recording revealed the father of three shouting “fucking pricks” and “fucking move” while he headed straight for hundreds of fans, with people frantically dragging children to safety as his car horn blared.

The court was told that Doyle was a “man in a rage had completely overpowered him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, speeding up while individuals were struck by his vehicle.

Scale of the Carnage

In total, the ex-marine injured 134 individuals within a mere seven-minute span – including more than 50 requiring hospital care. An infant was “remarkably” uninjured despite being left splayed on the road after the vehicle struck his stroller, the court heard.

One fan, Simon Nash, was shown being thrown into the air by the vehicle, sustaining a laceration on his head, broken ribs and multiple abrasions.

The defendant could be heard shouting “for God’s sake move! Get out of my path!” prior to driving deeper into panicked fans, among them an older woman and young 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 “what they thought would be a day of joyfulness” marking the football club’s championship win. The celebratory atmosphere swiftly became “terror”, it was said, when the driver entered the crowd while trying to collect a companion from the parade route.

“Witnesses believed the events unfolding constituted a terrorist incident.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, Doyle’s rampage 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, the court heard.

In his police interview, Doyle claimed he acted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. However, the prosecution argued that the video showed Doyle “just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. It was further stated: “Consumed by anger, he targeted the crowd and in doing so his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

Footage showed the driver was driving recklessly before he reached the city centre, overtaking cars dangerously and jumping red lights. He ignored traffic diversion measures and bypassed other vehicles, even emergency service vehicles, as he approached the packed streets.

The defendant is expected to receive a prison sentence of more than 10 years when he is sentenced on Tuesday.