A SCHOOLBOY witness yesterday told of the mayhem on a double-decker bus journey which ended in the death of his friend.

The 12-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was giving evidence in the trial of bus driver Deborah White, 41, of Hollinside Road, Billingham, Teesside who denies causing the death of 12-year-old Jamie Wells by dangerous driving.

The young witness described how, on March 8 last year, he was a passenger on a Middlesbrough service bus when - as often happened, he said - chaos broke out on the upper deck.

He told Tim Roberts, defending, how some pupils flung coins, smoked, swore and set off the alarm on the emergency exit.

He said he tried to get out of the way of the flying coins by moving to the lower deck. But more teenagers were causing chaos there too. Some were blocking the entrance and repeatedly activating the emergency door opening mechanism.

The driver shouted to the children to move back, but they ignored her.

Moments later, his friend Jamie, who had missed his stop, fell beneath the wheels.

Earlier in the hearing, Nicholas Campbell, prosecuting, said it was the Crown's case that Ms White was to blame for Jamie's death by continuing to drive the bus knowing the doors were open.

The court also heard from Dawn Johnson, who had been standing in the street near the oncoming bus when she saw Jamie put his foot to the ground.

She said that, as he stepped down, he was dragged beneath the bus.

He died in Middlesbrough General Hospital two hours later.

The trial continues today.