A TRIAL date has been set for two West Somerset men accused of causing the death by dangerous driving of a teenage girl more than two years ago.

Paul Jones, aged 47, of Westcott Mead, Exford, and Javan McDonald, aged 20, of Bossington, Porlock, have both separately denied the offence.

They first entered their not guilty pleas during a hearing held in Taunton Crown Court on October 6 of last year.

This week, on Tuesday (May 26), Judge Paul Cook ordered the two men should stand trial on January 25 next year, which would be a week short of the third anniversary of the car crash on the A39 Bratton Straight, near Minehead, in which 16-year-old Annaleah Grace Kingdon died.

Jones and McDonald were represented during Tuesday’s brief court hearing by barristers Charley Pattison and Harry Ahuja, both of Taunton’s Albion Chambers.

The pair were both remanded on unconditional bail to appear again for the start of the trial, which it was estimated would take about 36 hours, which would be at least a week in court time.

Annaleah, known as Annie, lived in Porlock and was the daughter of Stephen Kingdon and the Rev Chloe Kingdon, a Methodist minister for churches in Minehead and Porlock.

Annie, described by her family as their ‘shining star’, had two sisters Becky and Elianah, and five brothers Richard, Martin, Joshua, Benjamin, and Dominic.

She had previously lived in Watchet and was a former student of the West Somerset Community College, Minehead.

Annie had been a passenger in the crashed car and paramedics who attended the scene worked to save her life, but were unsuccessful and she was declared dead.

Three men who were also present, aged at the time 18, 19, and 45 years, were arrested by police shortly after the crash.