A FACTORY worker drove his car into a packed crowd outside a house party killing 16-year-old Burnley girl Jane Young, a murder trial in New Zealand has been told.

Ex-boxer Lipine Sila, 22, is accused of ploughing into Jane, and another 16-year-old, Hannah Rossiter, after he became embroiled in a row at a gathering in suburban Christchurch last May.

Jane had emigrated to New Zealand in 2003, from their home in Ightenhill, with her parents Harry and Lorraine and brothers Christopher, Alistair and George.

Defence lawyers say Sila could have been in a blind panic' when he left the party and did not intend to mow down Jane, Hannah and 28 other young people in the immediate area, the High Court in Christchurch has heard.

But prosecutors allege that Sila could easily have avoided the confrontation, by performing a u-turn onto a clear section of road, but instead had floored' the car and drove into the crowd.

Eighty-three witnesses could give evidence in a five week trial at which Sila denies two charges of murder and eight of intentionally wounding or causing grievous bodily harm. He will have a Samoan interpreter with him throughout the trial.

Prosecutor Brent Stanaway said that Jane was brought unconscious and unresponsive to a nearby hospital with a skull fracture and a broken leg at about 11.15pm on May 5.

Her blood pressure was unrecordable and the surgeons decided she could not recover. She died about two hours after being run down. Hannah Rossiter also died of a non-survivable head injury.

The other partygoers, struck by Sila when he allegedly floored' his Honda Integra, received injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to broken bones, neck and spine injuries, and brain injuries which they did survive.

A second prosecutor, Anne Toohey, said the 20th birthday party's numbers had swelled when details were circulated during the week as text messages.

Police estimate about 1,000 people were present when they decided to close it down because so many people were spilling out of the property on the road. Officers were nearby and about to move in when the incident took place.

A fight had developed on the street where Lipine Sila's brother Benjamin was challenging people to take him on. He threw a bottle that smashed a parked car's window before being chased off by a partygoer.

That partygoer then recognised Lipine Sila and shoulder-charged him and a fight developed. Sila was struck on the ear with a bottle, causing a cut which bled but did not need medical treatment.

But Miss Toohey said the fight was over when Sila got into his car and drove off. He was looking angry but walking in a casual way.

She added: "Crown witnesses are consistent that at this time there was no-one around the car, trying to get into the car, and the accused was not under attack."

She said Sila "floored" the accelerator and drove into the people ahead along the road, rather than doing a U-turn where the road was clear.

After he hit one group, he did not turn left at a T-junction but careered into another group in front of the party house, on the wrong side of the road, hitting Jane Young and Hannah Rossiter.

Sila then sped away and crashed into two vehicles. He was arrested by police that night though.

Miss Toohey said: "You have to ask yourselves why he had his foot to the floor and swerved into people.

"He didn't hit any cars. Anything that could have done damage to his own car was avoided. You may get the impression by the end of the case that the accused was aiming for people."

Defence counsel Pip Hall said the case was not a whodunnit - the defence accepted that Sila was the driver and was responsible for the deaths and injuries.

"The issue is whether or not he intended these consequences or was reckless as to them," Mr Hall said.

"It will be necessary for you to decide what was going on in this man's mind in the seconds leading up to this tragedy.

"Was it a case of blind panic and loss of control, or was it calculated and intentional, goal-related behaviour?"

The jury were today expected to be taken to the crash site, on Edgeware Road in surburban Christchurch, before the trial resumes in court later.