A man has appeared in court charged in connection with the death of a Barton schoolgirl who died after road accident while she was on a school trip.

Nicholas Buck, 53, of Kingshurst Way in Birmingham, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, West Midlands police have confirmed.

On Thursday, March 29, Buck appeared at Birmingham Magistrates' Court. The case will now be heard at crown court next month.

Holly Brown died in a crash in July last year

Holly Brown, a pupil at John Taylor High School in Barton-under-Needwood, was on a school trip when the coach she was travelling in was involved in a collision with a bin lorry on the A38 in Birmingham.

Year nine and 12 students from the school were on their way to an art trip when the collision occured. Parents were quickly informed of the incident and were kept updated by staff on the coach throughout the day.

Fourteen-year-old Holly was seriously injured in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene. Another teenage girl was taken to hospital with minor injuries and others were treated by paramedics at the roadside.

Tributes left for Holly Brown outside John Taylor High School

Holly's death rocked the local community and hundreds of mourners packed St James' Church in Barton on Thursday, July 27, to pay their final respects to the young dancer at her funeral.

Head teacher at the school, Mike Donoghue, paying tribute the youngster at the time said she was a 'well-loved' pupil at the school who would be sorely missed.

An inquest is still due to take place, after a coroner warned a probe into her death would take 'months rather than weeks' to complete.

Detective Sergeant Alan Hands from the police's collision investigation unit said: "This was a tragic incident which resulted in the death of a pupil from the John Taylor High School in Barton-under-Needwood.

Hundreds of people turned out for the schoolgirl's funeral

"Holly's family are devastated and specialist officers continue to support them during this extremely difficult time."

At the time of her death, a tribute was issued on behalf of Holly's mum, dad and twin sister, Emma who told of how proud they were of the youngster, who cared about others and was their for those who needed it.

Holly Brown, 14, tragically died in a minibus crash in Birmingham last Friday
Holly was a keen dancer

Buck will next appear at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, April 26, and has been granted unconditional bail until then.