A driver accused of causing the death of a teenager on the A249 slip road has been found not guilty.

Andre Trenton, 22, of Malvern Close, Gillingham, denied the death of Georgia Mann by driving carelessly after leaving the car on the side of the road to walk to get some fuel in Bobbing near Sittingbourne.

But today, a jury at Maidstone Crown Court found him not guilty with a majority verdict after four hours and 48 minutes of deliberation.

Georgia Mann, 15, died after the stranded Audi A1 Sport, in which she was a back seat passenger, was hit by a VW Caddy being driven by a man who was two-and-a-half times over the alcohol limit.

Van driver Benjamin Henley has already pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

Judge Charles MacDonald had earlier praised families and friends of the victim and defendant for their "quiet dignity and exemplary conduct" during the trial which began last week.

Prosecutor Peter Forbes had told the jury that former Dartford and Ebbsfleet footballer Trenton had been dating Sinead Hayes, whose sister had been best friends with Ms Mann. Both were also passengers in the car.

He said the accident happened just before midnight on a slip road joining the A249 at Bobbing.

“The prosecution case is that both drivers were responsible for the tragic death of Georgia," Mr Forbes said. "That night Trenton had known that he was low on fuel.

“He had plenty of opportunities to get petrol but chose not to. The handbook for his vehicle says that when the warning light comes on there are around seven litres of fuel in the tank.

“He later told police that the petrol warning indicator had been on for 20 to 30 minutes and he had just passed a petrol station as he went onto the slip road.

“Unsurprisingly he did eventually run out of fuel at the point when the Audi was in the ‘live’ lane of a slip road as it came to a stop.”

"They said they were cold. It was kinda ..'we'll stay here'. They wanted to stay...they over-ruled me."

Mr Forbes said there had been no hard shoulder but there was a drainage channel to the nearside of a gentle slope.

But Trenton, of Malvern Close, Gillingham, stopped the black Audi A1 Sport after putting on its hazard lights.

Trenton, who denies the charge, told the jury that he believed the Highway Code recommended that people should leave the vehicle.

"They (the teenagers) didn't want to leave. We had a discussion but they didn't want to leave. Once they made that decision. It was out of my hands.

"They said they were cold. It was kinda ..'we'll stay here'. They wanted to stay...they over-ruled me."

Trenton then left his girlfriend and Georgia in the vehicle while he and a 15-year-old friend walked to a nearby fuel station.

He then called another friend to collect him and they returned to the Audi.

But before he could refuel, the Audi was struck by a van - and Georgia later died from her injuries.

Trenton claimed he believed he had left his car in a safe place at the side of the slip road and put the hazard lights on before leaving.

But he accepted that the car's side lights were not on, adding: "I don't know why they weren't on."

He said he can't remember if he had started re-fuelling "or was about to" when the crash happened.

"I think I started to fill up...I can't remember. I remember I was standing by the car when I saw the van."

Trenton added that he had never run out of petrol before and believed he would have been able to get to a petrol station.

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