A specialist in braking systems has told a jury that the fact that the ABS was not working on a bus involved in an accident that killed five Meath schoolgirls significantly affected the outcome of the crash.

A garda who arrived at the scene of a fatal bus crash in which five Meath schoolgirls were killed has told a jury that he examined the underside of the vehicle and found two ABS cables were disconnected or broken.

The ABS system was not working in eight out of 18 vehicles tested by Bus Éireann four days after a crash in which five Meath schoolgirls were killed, a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard today.

One of the companies on trial for breaches of the Health and Safety Act arising from the investigation into a fatal bus crash causing the death of five Meath schoolgirls in 2005 has pleaded guilty to a new charge.

The driver of the bus which crashed three years ago, which caused the deaths of five Meath schoolgirls, has revealed he had never been told the vehicle was supposed to have an anti-lock braking system (ABS).

A motorist who witnessed the school bus crash that killed five school girls has said she thought the temporary traffic lights assisting road works on the Navan to Kentstown road were too close to a bend.

The jury in a trial arising from an investigation into a school bus crash in which five schoolgirls were killed has been told that a company knew the vehicle's ABS system was defective but failed to repair it.

A new date in May has been set at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court for the trial two companies accused of health and safety offences arising from the investigation into the fatal Navan school bus crash in May 2005.

Two companies charged over the Navan bus crash which claimed the lives of five young schoolgirls will have to wait until next year to stand trial.

A vehicle maintenance company responsible for the upkeep of a school bus that overturned killing five schoolchildren knew its anti-lock braking system was not working, a court heard today.

Three firms will stand trial today in relation to the Navan bus crash which claimed the lives of five young schoolgirls.