Bus driver admits killing woman at Lisburn Bus Centre

Image source, Pacemaker

Image caption, The woman died after being hit by the bus at Lisburn bus centre

A bus driver has admitted killing a woman in a crash at Lisburn Bus Centre.

James Johnston, of Killowen Grange in Lisburn, County Antrim, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Charlotte Linda Stewart, who died on 29 December 2014.

He had been due to stand trial at Craigavon Crown Court this week but on Monday he changed his plea.

Ms Stewart, 48, was hit by a bus which mounted a kerb and hit a wall inside the grounds of the Smithfield Street centre.

A pre-sentence report will be prepared and 34-year-old Johnston is due to be sentenced on 19 June. He remains on bail.

Guilty plea

At the time of the crash, a woman who was at the bus station, Jo-anna McLucas, described what she saw.

"I was on the phone and I heard a bang, I looked up to see what had happened," Ms McLucas said.

"The bus had hit the wall and I walked outside and there was a small gap between the wall and the bus and I could see there was someone on the ground."

A Translink spokesperson said: "We can confirm that Translink is not subject to any criminal proceedings.

"One of our employees however has issued a guilty plea in connection with the incident. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage, on any aspect of the case".