A schoolgirl who looked similar to Danielle Jones was seen arguing with a man in the street on the morning the teenager disappeared, a court has heard.

Witness Christine Barry yesterday told Chelmsford Crown Court she looked out of her open bedroom window in Coronation Avenue, East Tilbury, after hearing what she thought was "the sound of a child having a tantrum in the street".

Just 20 yards away she could see a slim, fair-haired girl in a St Clere's School uniform with her back to her, arguing with a man.

Mrs Barry said: "She was shrieking 'No, go away, leave me alone' over and over again. She was very animated.

"I vaguely remember the word 'pervert' said by the girl."

The man - who she described as aged between 35 and 40, taller than the girl, slim with dark hair - was standing "very close to the girl".

She said he was wearing a white short-sleeved top and yellow or beige trousers, possibly Chinos.

She added: "The man appeared passive, his arms by his side. He wasn't warding off her blows.

"She was waving her arms, pushing him away with her hands while she was saying 'no'."

She said they appeared to be "very well known to each other because if it was me I wouldn't stand arguing with the chap like that, I would just run away".

During cross examination, Mrs Barry said the man appeared to be "apologetic".

She said: "The man was very passive by comparison to her.

"But I got the impression the male was invading the female's space. They were inches apart at times."

After watching the unusual scene, Mrs Barry said she was distracted by what she at first thought was her telephone ringing.

However, investigations showed her phone did not ring. Mrs Barry said she was unable to recall what dragged her away from the window for several minutes. By the time she returned to her window, the young girl and man had disappeared.

When asked by prosecutor Orlando Pownall QC whether she thought the girl was "at risk" Mrs Barry replied: "Yes."

What did you do? "Sadly nothing."

The prosecution claims builder Stuart Campbell was obsessed with his niece and also had a fascination for teenage schoolgirls.

Stuart Campbell, 44, of Meadow Road, Grays, denies the abduction and murder of Danielle Jones, of Hayle, East Tilbury. The case continues

Follow the case day by day in the Evening Echo

Published Tuesday October 29, 2002