THE trial of a man accused of perverting the course of justice in the crash which claimed the life of Ringwood teenager Jade Clark is due to begin this morning.

Brian Hampton, 58, will appear at Bournemouth Crown Court and his trial is expected to last four or five days.

He pleaded guilty in June to causing death by careless driving after he knocked the 16-year-old off her scooter as she rode along the A31.

The young hairdresser and member of Young Firefighters' Association died from head injuries following the collision, which happened between the Verwood slip road on the A31 and the Ashley Heath roundabout on February 24 this year.

An inquest heard that Jade was struck by "more than one vehicle" after being knocked off her scooter.

Hampton, of Hornash Lane in Shadoxhurst near Ashford, Kent, has also entered guilty pleas to driving a Volvo XC90 whilst disqualified on February 24 and February 25 and driving without insurance on both those dates.

He will today stand trial for a charge of perverting the course of justice between February 24 and March 22 this year by arranging for collision damage on a Volvo XC90 to be repaired.

Hampton works as a health and safety executive on the railways in Poole.

Jade was an enthusiastic member of the Ringwood Young Firefighters' Association and in June a memorial garden was opened at the fire station on what would have been her 17th birthday.

We will be covering the trial live, follow it here.