A witness to a crash in which a teenager died following a high-speed joyride found himself threatened moments later by youths.

Andrew Wright was walking to his Brighton home along Ditchling Road when he heard a bang followed by an "eerie" silence.

However minutes later he was confronted by two youths who told him: "We have been with you all night. You say anything else and you are dead."

Hove Crown Court heard how 18-year-old Jamie White, of Lomond Avenue, Brighton, was killed in the crash in November last year when he was flung from a stolen Ford Escort which had been driven the wrong way up Ditchling Road and smashed into a taxi before spinning into a pensioner and two other cars.

The court heard driver Gary Whibley, 18, of Ditchling Road, who denies causing death by dangerous driving, ran from the scene.

Jahid Arien, 20, of Woodbourne Avenue, and 20-year-old Neil Clarke, of Rotherfield Crescent, both deny aggravated vehicle taking.

Witness Mr Wright was returning home when he heard the fatal crash but as he continued on his way he was confronted by two youths who appeared out of a residential garden.

He told the jury one of the men was swearing, complaining about an injured arm, but then turned on him aggressively, threatening him if he did not provide an alibi.

However he ignored them and carried on and the last thing he heard was the second man repeating "we ought to go back".

The crash happened at the junction of Upper Lewes Road and Viaduct Road at 1.30am when the Ford Escort, stolen earlier from Windsor Court, crashed into a Mondeo taxi driven by Peter Albon, spinning it 360 degrees.

The court heard the Escort also hit two other cars and pedestrian Donald Priest.

Derek Tharme, driver of a Suzuki hit in the crash, told the court: "All I remember is a car flying through the air and landing in front of my bonnet and smashing across into the wall. I then saw two people jump out and over the wall."

John Tanzer, prosecuting, had earlier told the court when the car came to rest, White had been thrown out of the rear windscreen, Clarke was lying injured in the road and Whibley and Arien had made off.

The case continues.