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THE driver of a Merseyrail train which ran over a teenage girl at James Street station described the scene as “hell on earth”.

Belinda Nicholson, who had been a train driver for 16 years prior to the accident in October last year, said she was operating blind and was relying on guard Christopher McGee to tell her that the train was safe to move off.

When she got ‘two bells’ from McGee she began to accelerate only for a warning third bell to sound “within seconds”.

Georgia Varley, 16, who had been leaning on the train window having stepped on to the platform accidentally, had fallen between the train and the platform and been killed.

Ms Nicholson described how she and McGee, who is now on trial for manslaughter and health and safety breaches, were operating the last train from West Kirby into Liverpool on Saturday October 22 last year and the passengers were “rowdy”.

She said that when they stopped at Meols station in Wirral Georgia, who had distinctive silvery blonde hair and was very drunk, got off the train in error.

She said: “I could hear shouting. Someone shouting ‘Georgia get back in’ or something.

“I stuck my head out of the window and could see Chris walking along the platform. There were girls and a lad holding open the doors of the train.

“A girl came out of the waiting area. They were all shouting ‘get in’. The doors closed so Chris went back.”

The court heard when they arrived at James Street Station in Liverpool a lot of passengers got off the train including Georgia.

Ms Nicholson said: “I just sat there waiting. I could hear shouting: ‘Georgia, Georgia’ but I couldn’t see anything.

“There were still a lot of people on the train. I didn’t take any notice.

“It was a normal Saturday night. It’s normally pretty bad on Saturday night.”

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She described hearing the ‘hustle’ to say the doors were closing, her traction light coming on to say she had power and then the ‘two bell’ signal from Christopher McGee who was at the back of the train acting as her “eyes and ears”.

She said she returned the signal and had moved off but was only up to about 10mph when she heard a single bell to signal an emergency stop.

Belinda Nicholson told the court: “I got on the cab-to-cab (radio) and said did you give me that bell?

“He (McGee) said yes. She’s fallen.

Nicholas Johnson QC, asked: “Who did you think he was referring to?”

She replied: “My first thought was Georgia. She was the only one who had come to our attention.

“He said there’s nothing we can do for her.”

She described how Christopher McGee was then sick by the side of the track.

Ms Nicholson added: “It was hell on earth. No one should see that.”

Christopher McGee, 45, of Edenhurst Avenue, Wallasey, is accused of manslaughter and failing to ensure the health and safety of another.

He denies both charges.

(Proceeding)

Friends tried to get tragic teen Georgia Varley to go home on night she was run over by train

Friend of tragic Wirral teen Georgia Varley tells court of her final hours

Teenager Georgia Varley who died after falling under Merseyrail train was drunk and had party drug Mcat in her system