A TEACHER at Minster College on Sheppey has paid tribute to a former pupil who died after stepping out in front of van as she got off a bus.

Haleyanne Price, 18, died after colliding with a van in Star Hill, Rochester, in the early hours of Saturday, May 3.

She studied at Minster College for two years from 1999 to 2001 before moving to Rochester with her family after her GCSEs.

Her former head of year, Jane Washford, said: "She was just a lovely girl. She was very quiet and hard working, and to those of us who knew her it came as a terrible shock.

It is always terrible when a young person dies in such a sad an unexpected way."

Haleyanne was due to sit her A levels at Thomas Aveling School in Rochester this summer and hoped to study law at university. Sixth-form students at the school plan to erect a memorial at the school.

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Haleyanne's mother, Pauline Ellis, has come face to face with the 17-year-old driver involved in the accident.

Mrs Ellis has been tormented by nightmares since the tragedy which occurred after Haleyanne stepped out in front of the Ford Transit van.

Four days later, Mrs Ellis, 40, of The Tideway, Rochester, faced the driver who lives at Dunkirk, near Faversham. She said: "I kept dreaming that he was a monster and he was laughing at us. Every time I closed my eyes that's all I could see and I knew I had to put a face to it.

"He came to the house with his mum and his 15-year-old brother. I accept it wasn't his fault and he is really suffering. I hoped by meeting him it would help me and in turn, help him, which I think it did. He said it did."

The teenager brought flowers to the house and asked to pay his respects to Haleyanne who was 18. Mrs Ellis said: "He wanted to take some flowers down to her which he did and he just kept saying how sorry he was.

"His mum said she thought I would hate him, but I want people to know he is 100 per cent innocent."

Mrs Ellis's sister, Susan O'Connell, said the boy needed to get on with his life. "He was in a really bad way and so was his brother who was in the car at the time of the accident.

"But he is only 17. He has the rest of his life in front of him and we just hope he can eventually put it behind him."

Dozens of flowers and cards have been laid at the spot where Haleyanne died.

A horse drawn carriage will leave the family home at midday on Thursday and travel around the Warren Wood estate, past the Thomas Aveling School in Arethusa Road where her friends will pay a silent tribute.

The funeral will then be held at 1pm at Medway crematorium. Some of Haleyanne's favourite songs including Heaven Can Wait by Meatloaf and Christina Aguilera's Beautiful will be played.

Mrs Ellis has asked for donations, instead of flowers, to be sent to the PDSA veterinary charity on 01634 814353 or the school where a bench will stand in her memory.