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A former Royal Marine was a “person consumed by fury” as he drove into dozens of LFC fans during a championship celebration, an incident many initially feared to be a terrorist attack, according to court proceedings.

“The video was profoundly upsetting.”

Those injured in the incident wept as dashcam footage depicted people being thrown into the air while he sped towards the gathering and shouted: “Get out of the way!”

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 offences against 29 victims, including eight minors.

‘A Man in a Rage’

The prosecution warned those in court that the footage from Doyle’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy was “truly shocking”. It showed the parent shouting “fucking pricks” as well as “move out of the way” as he drove towards hundreds of fans, with people frantically dragging children to safety as his car horn blared.

The court was told that Doyle acted as a “man in a rage 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 – with over fifty requiring hospital care. An infant was “miraculously” uninjured despite being left splayed on the road after the vehicle struck his stroller, according to testimony.

A supporter, Simon Nash, was seen being launched into the air by the car, sustaining a cut to the back of his head, broken ribs and multiple abrasions.

The defendant could be heard shouting “for God’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” prior to driving deeper 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 about 1 million people had attended “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” marking Liverpool winning their 20th league title. Scenes of jubilation swiftly became “horror”, the prosecutor said, when the driver entered the crowd as he attempted to pick up a friend who had been at the parade.

“Some at the scene believed what was taking place was a terrorist attack.”

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

As bodies lay on the ground, Doyle’s rampage was stopped by a former soldier, a man identified in court, who entered the back of the car and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Despite this, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, the court heard.

In his police interview, the defendant stated he reacted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. Yet, prosecutors contended that the dashcam footage demonstrated Doyle “simply lost control 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

Footage indicated the driver had been driving dangerously prior to entering downtown, undertaking cars at speed and jumping red lights. He disregarded traffic diversion measures and bypassed other vehicles, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.

Doyle is understood to be facing a jail term of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.