A young mother left a Belfast court in tears yesterday after telling of the accident which claimed her baby daughter's life.

Aisling Nic Suibhre was being pushed in a buggy by her mother, Charlene Ryan, 21, from Darlington, and friend Jayne Stephenson in May 2005, when a car mounted the pavement and struck them, in Derry, Northern Ireland.

Ms Ryan had been living in Derry but was planning to return to Darlington.

Yesterday, she gave evidence at the retrial of Steven White, 20, a trainee plumber.

Mr White, 20, from Dellwood, Eglinton, is on trial at Belfast Crown Court where he denies dangerous driving causing baby Aisling's death, and injuring her mother's friend.

The two women had been walking along Ardmore Road, on the outskirts of Derry, Northern Ireland, after visiting a nearby hotel to arrange a meal for the following weekend to celebrate Aisling's christening.

In the witness box, Ms Ryan became upset as QC Stephen Fowler began asking her about the accident.

Judge Patrick Lynch intervened, telling Ms Ryan that she could take a break, but she declined.

She had told the court of hearing a "screeching noise" from behind her and that she turned to see a green car.

"The car began to spin towards us. I could see the passenger and the driver, the shadows of them anyway," she told the court

"My impression was he was in a panic trying to control the car, and the passenger had his hands up, protecting his head.

"I just remember feeling the pain in my body and being on the floor, the pavement," said Ms Ryan.

She said initially she could not see or hear baby Aisling, but then saw her in the middle of the road.

"I crawled over to her because I couldn't walk - I was desperate to get to her.

"I wanted to unstrap her from her buggy. I just wanted to lift her, to hold her," she added.

Ms Ryan said she believed Mr White's car was travelling too fast.

"We didn't have much time to do anything about it - to get out of the way or anything."

Under cross-examination from defence QC Brian Kennedy she said the screeching noise she'd heard moments before the accident was "just a traumatic sound, and I can still hear it in my head".

She also agreed that "the car was out of control and the driver was frantically trying to correct it".

After being comforted by family and friends, Ms Ryan returned to the court to listen to her friend, Ms Stephenson, described seeing Aisling's push-chair being thrown into the air.

The jury has already heard prosecution claims that Mr White, who had passed his driving test two months earlier, was trying to avoid an oncoming car when he careered into the toddler's buggy.

The trial continues.