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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 championship celebration, in what many feared was a act of terrorism, according to court proceedings.

“The video was profoundly upsetting.”

Victims in the incident cried while video from the car’s camera showed bodies spinning through the air as he accelerated into crowds and shouted: “Get out of the way!”

Doyle, 54, is due to be sentenced on Tuesday following his guilty plea at the start of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges involving 21 adults and eight children.

‘Consumed by Anger’

The prosecution warned the court that the video evidence from the defendant’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy was “truly shocking”. The recording revealed the father of three shouting “fucking pricks” and “move out of the way” as he drove towards a large crowd of supporters, some pulling children out of the way as his car horn blared.

It was stated in court that Doyle acted as a “individual whose anger had completely overpowered him” as he continued driving into the mass of people, accelerating while individuals were struck by his vehicle.

Scale of the Carnage

In total, the former Royal Marine hurt 134 individuals within a mere seven-minute span – with over fifty who needed hospital treatment. A six-month-old boy was “remarkably” uninjured despite being left splayed on the road when Doyle’s car hit his pram, according to testimony.

A supporter, a man named in court, was shown being thrown into the air by the car, sustaining a cut to the back of his head, rib fractures and numerous scrapes.

Doyle could be heard shouting “for God’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” before ploughing further into panicked fans, among them an older woman and young children who were dragged under the car.

Celebration Descends into Chaos

Addressing a packed courtroom, lawyers said about 1 million people had attended “what they thought would be a day of joyfulness” to celebrate Liverpool winning their 20th league title. The celebratory atmosphere 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 constituted a terrorist incident.”

Rampage Halted by Heroic Act

With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path was stopped by a former soldier, Dan Barr, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and forced the gearstick into park. Even then, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, the court heard.

In his police interview, the defendant claimed he acted in a “state of sheer panic” due to a fear for his safety. Yet, prosecutors contended that the dashcam footage demonstrated the defendant “just lost his temper in his desire to get to where he wanted to get to”. It was further stated: “In a rage, he drove into the crowd and in doing so he intended to cause them serious harm.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

Footage showed Doyle was driving recklessly before he reached the city centre, undertaking cars at speed and jumping red lights. He disregarded road closures and weaved around other vehicles, even emergency service vehicles, as he approached the packed streets.

Doyle is expected to receive a jail term of over a decade at his sentencing hearing.