A woman is to stand trial next year on dangerous driving and assault charges, having denied both alleged offences at a crown court plea hearing.

Megan Gibson is accused of driving dangerously in a Nissan Juke car on Spout Lane, Shildon, on August 15, 2023.

She is also accused of assaulting another woman, causing actual bodily harm, also in Shildon, on the same day.

The 25-year-old defendant of Clanny Road, Newton Aycliffe, pleaded not guilty to both counts during the plea and trial preparation hearing at Durham Crown Court, on Wednesday (October 2).

(Image: The Northern Echo) Asked by Judge Jo Kidd what was to be her defence to the charges, her counsel, Simon Walker, said it would be her case that she was not driving the vehicle, which was registered in her name, that day.

Mr Walker said it had been taken from her home in an incident in which she was forced to leave the property “in haste”, but which was not reported to police.

The case was said to be suitable to be listed as a floater trial at the court in the New Year.

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A suitable start date for a hearing of two days’ duration was agreed for Tuesday, June 3, 2025.

Judge Kidd said there ought to be a further case management hearing at the court to ensure it was “trial ready”, four weeks earlier.

She bailed the defendant to return to the court for the pre-trial hearing, on May 6, next year.