A YORK man today pleaded guilty to causing the death of a passenger in an horrific bus crash.

A court heard James Christopher Glenton had been racked with guilt and tried to take his life in prison over his fears about his role in the Bootham crash, which killed Mohamed Eltahtawy.

Mr Eltahtawy, 49, died after a bus travelling from the Ikon & Diva nightclub smashed into a partition wall of the Churchill Hotel, Bootham, then struck the parapet of a nearby railway bridge, early on April 16.

Leeds Crown Court today heard Glenton plead guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Eltahtawy, who was left trapped under masonry on the bus, and who died shortly afterwards with a passer-by holding his hand.

Paul Williams, for Glenton, told the court his client had no proper memory of the fatal crash. Four more people were injured, including the driver.

He did not know whether he was involved in the incident or not, but after taking advice, he had decided to plead guilty.

Mr Eltahtawy, originally from Egypt, but based in York at the time of the crash, died after being trapped under masonry.

Mr Williams said Glenton went to the police when he started having nightmares about the crash.

The court heard Glenton was suffering from depression. He had tried to take his own life in prison.

The court also heard that Glenton had written two letters, one to the driver and injured passengers, and another to the family of Mr Eltahtawy.

The case against Glenton, 21, of Rowntree Avenue, Clifton, was adjourned, and he was remanded in custody for sentence at Leeds on September 10.

The Evening Press reported in April how shocked passengers apparently told rescuers from the nearby Churchill Hotel that someone on the bus, wanting to get off, had pulled the bus steering wheel away from the driver before the accident happened.

Hotel duty night manager Gary Billingham said the crash had sounded like an explosion.

The dead man's girlfriend, Carol Knowles, 48, of Haxby, told the Evening Press after the tragedy that Mr Eltahtawy, had quarrelled with her on the night that he died. Just before 2am he tried to ring her, and left a voicemail message on her mobile phone to say that he was on his way home. Seven minutes later the crash happened.

Updated: 14:20 Tuesday, August 03, 2004