Two of Danielle's closest friends have appeared at court to give evidence against the man accused of her abduction and murder.
Stuart Campbell, 44, of Meadow Road, Grays, sat in the dock as the two 16-year-old girls - both of whom cannot be named for legal reasons - spoke of their friendship with Danielle.
One told how she confronted Campbell after her friend vanished, telling him she thought their relationship was wrong.
The first girl, told of the many attempts she made to contact Danielle on her mobile phone, but without success.
She told the jury, sitting in courtroom one of Chelmsford Crown Court, how she and her friend encountered Campbell on Coronation Avenue, Grays, the day after Danielle went missing.
She said: "He asked us if we knew where Danielle was. We said we didn't. He asked us in a forceful way.
"We asked if we could see the text message she had sent him."
Later, when she found from another friend that Campbell had received a second text message, she confronted him at the Jones's house.
The second girl - also 16 - appeared yesterday afternoon as a witness. She described Danielle as her "bestest friend" and how the group of five girls would hang around with each other at school.
She said the missing teenager could occasionally be "outrageous" but would often regret her actions. She also admitted Danielle rowed with her parents but "not all the time.
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 in depth day by day in the Evening Echo
Published Tuesday October 22, 2002
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