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An ex- Royal Marine was a “person consumed by fury” as he drove into dozens of Liverpool football club fans during a championship celebration, in what many feared was a terrorist attack, a court has heard.

“The video is profoundly upsetting.”

Those injured in the incident wept as video from the car’s camera showed bodies spinning through the air as he accelerated into crowds while screaming: “Get out of the way!”

The 54-year-old defendant will learn his fate 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 stated the court that the footage from the defendant’s large people carrier was “truly shocking”. It showed the father of three 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 had completely overpowered him” as he ploughed further into the crowd, speeding up as people collided with his car.

Extent of the Injuries

In total, the former Royal Marine injured 134 people in just seven minutes – including more than 50 who needed hospital treatment. A six-month-old boy was “remarkably” uninjured despite being left splayed on the road after the vehicle struck his stroller, the court heard.

One fan, a man named in court, was shown being thrown into the air by the vehicle, suffering a laceration to the back of his head, broken ribs and multiple abrasions.

The defendant could be heard shouting “for God’s sake move! Get out of my path!” before ploughing further into panicked fans, including an elderly woman and children who were dragged under the car.

Celebration Descends into Chaos

Speaking to a full court, the prosecution said approximately a million individuals were present at “what they thought would be a day of joyfulness” marking the football club’s championship win. Scenes of jubilation turned to “terror”, it was said, as Doyle drove into oncoming fans while trying to collect a companion who had been at the parade.

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

Brave Intervention Stops Driver

With injured people on the street, the vehicle’s path was brought to a halt by an ex-army member, a man identified in court, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and forced the gearstick into park. Even then, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, according to evidence.

During questioning, the defendant stated he acted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. However, prosecutors contended 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: “Consumed by anger, he drove into the crowd and in doing so his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Reckless Behavior Before the Attack

Footage showed Doyle had been driving dangerously prior to entering downtown, undertaking cars at speed and jumping red lights. He disregarded road closures and bypassed other cars, including an ambulance and police cars, as he approached the packed streets.

Doyle is expected to receive a jail term of more than 10 years at his sentencing hearing.