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An ex- Royal Marines Commando was a “person consumed by fury” as he drove into scores of Liverpool football club fans at a championship celebration, an incident many initially feared to be a act of terrorism, according to court proceedings.

“The footage was profoundly upsetting.”

Those injured in the incident cried as 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 after pleading guilty on the first day of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges against 21 adults and eight children.

‘Consumed by Anger’

The prosecution warned those in court that the footage from the defendant’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy proved to be “truly shocking”. It showed the father of three yelling “expletives” and “fucking move” while he headed straight for a large crowd of supporters, with people frantically dragging children to safety as he blasted the horn.

The court was told 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 as people collided with his car.

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. A six-month-old boy was “miraculously” uninjured despite being left splayed on the road after the vehicle struck his stroller, according to testimony.

One fan, a man named in court, was seen being launched into the air by the vehicle, suffering a laceration on his head, broken ribs and multiple abrasions.

The defendant could be heard shouting “fuck’s sake move! Get out of my path!” prior to driving deeper into screaming supporters, among them an older woman and young children who were dragged under the car.

Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror

Addressing a packed courtroom, the prosecution said approximately a million individuals had attended “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” marking Liverpool winning their 20th league title. Scenes of jubilation turned to “horror”, it was 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 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, Dan Barr, who entered the back of the car and forced the gearstick into park. Despite this, Doyle kept his foot on the accelerator, according to evidence.

In his police interview, Doyle claimed he reacted in a “blind panic” due to a fear for his safety. However, prosecutors contended that the dashcam footage demonstrated Doyle “simply lost control in his determination to reach his destination”. It was further stated: “In a rage, he drove into the crowd and in doing so his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Dangerous Driving Prior to Incident

The video showed the driver had been driving dangerously before he reached the city centre, undertaking cars at speed and jumping red lights. He ignored traffic diversion measures and bypassed other cars, even emergency service vehicles, as he entered the crowds.

Doyle is understood to be facing a prison sentence of more than 10 years at his sentencing hearing.