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An ex- Royal Marine was a “man in a rage” when he drove into scores of LFC supporters during a victory parade, an incident many initially feared to be a terrorist attack, according to court proceedings.

“The footage was profoundly upsetting.”

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

The 54-year-old defendant is due to be sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty at the start of his trial last month to 31 criminal charges against 21 adults and eight children.

‘A Man in a Rage’

Prosecutors warned the court that the footage from the defendant’s two-tonne Ford Galaxy was “truly shocking”. It showed the parent shouting “fucking pricks” and “move out of the way” while he headed straight for a large crowd of supporters, with people frantically dragging children to safety as his car horn blared.

The court was told that Doyle was a “individual whose anger whose anger had completely taken hold of him” as he ploughed further into the crowd, speeding up as people collided with his car.

Scale of the Carnage

In total, the ex-marine injured 134 individuals in just seven minutes – with over fifty requiring hospital care. A six-month-old boy was “remarkably” uninjured even though he was left on the roadway when Doyle’s car hit his pram, according to testimony.

A supporter, Simon Nash, was shown being thrown into the air by the vehicle, suffering a laceration to the back of his head, rib fractures and numerous scrapes.

The defendant was heard screaming “fuck’s sake move! Get out my fucking way!” prior to driving deeper into screaming supporters, including an elderly woman and children who became trapped beneath the vehicle.

Scene of Jubilation Turns to Horror

Speaking to a full court, lawyers said approximately a million individuals were present at “an event they believed to be a day of joyfulness” marking Liverpool winning their 20th league title. The celebratory atmosphere 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 thought that what was taking place was a terrorist attack.”

Rampage Halted by Heroic Act

As bodies lay on the ground, the vehicle’s path was brought to a halt by a former soldier, Dan Barr, who climbed into a rear passenger seat and held the car’s gear selector in “park”. Even then, Doyle continued pressing the gas pedal, the court heard.

In his police interview, Doyle claimed he acted in a “blind panic” because he feared for his life. Yet, 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: “In a rage, he targeted the crowd and as he did so his intent was to cause serious injury.”

Reckless Behavior Before the Attack

The video indicated the driver had been driving dangerously prior to entering downtown, 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 expected to receive a prison sentence of more than 10 years when he is sentenced on Tuesday.