Jailed minibus driver James Johnson was the subject of complaints about his dangerous driving by Bradford City fans just weeks before he caused a death crash on the M62, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal.

Passengers revealed how Johnson, sent down for six years and eight months last week, steered with his knees on the way to Wembley in the same vehicle involved in the hen party crash which led to the death of Bethany Jones, 18.

Witnesses revealed how Johnson stood up to twiddle with a radio while driving at speed with more than 20 fans, including children, on board.

The City supporters, who were making the trip to the Capital One Cup final only two months before the fatal smash on the M62, made a string of complaints about the driver and the coach, and even took out a County Court judgment against the coach company.

Gerard Hollingworth, former chairman of the Bradford City Supporters Board, organised the trip.

He said Johnson's driving was atrocious and passengers on the Wembley trip, in February 2013, had to intervene on a number of occasions to avoid crashes.

Mr Hollingworth, who served as a fire officer in London for more than 20 years, said yesterday: "It was an absolute nightmare. Neither the coach, nor the driver, were fit for purpose. Now we all feel lucky to be alive."

Johnson, 64, of Whytecote End, Wyke, Bradford, admitted the death by dangerous driving charge. He was driving the minibus at 5mph in the nearside lane of the M62 near Pontefract on April 26 last year when it was hit from behind by an articulated lorry.

Bethany Jones, 18, was killed in the crash, and the other 19 passengers, including the bride, were seriously injured.

The bus had mechanical problems, including a burned out clutch, but Johnson carried on driving.

Judge Guy Kearl QC said it was an accident waiting to happen and Johnson had shown a flagrant disregard for the safety of other road users.

Mr Hollingworth said a mixture of men, women and children as young as ten were on the Bradford City trip. When the minibus collected them from outside a pub in Oakenshaw, he said it was "a bit of a rust heap".

During the four and a half hour journey, the passengers had to wear overcoats because the heating did not work, some were hanging off their seats because they were too small, and the seat belts did not fit properly. People sitting in the back seats had to stuff clothing over a panel where a jet of fresh air was blowing through.

He said that Johnson seemed to keep losing his concentration and kept standing up while on the motorway to adjust the radio.

Mr Hollingworth said: "We asked him to put on the radio, but it was above the driver's windscreen. He just stood up in the seat and started to fiddle with it and carried on steering with his knees. We were on the MI and must have been travelling at 60 to 70mph.

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"He sat down again but the radio kept going off so he would stand up and do it again. We told him to leave it alone, but he kept changing the channels.

"We had to shout at him to turn off at the right place, it was like he wasn't concentrating. On two or three occasions we had to slow down because of the amount of traffic, but he hadn't seen it and we were shouting at him. He was all over the road, swerving.

"Normally the driver gets tips, but nobody gave him a penny, that's what everybody thought of him."

Mr Hollingworth made a county court claim for £375, half of the cost of the trip, but did not receive anything because the coach company, Prestige 2000, of Batley, had by then gone out of business.

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He contacted the police when he heard about the M62 fatal crash and realised it was the same coach and driver involved.

That led to Mr Hollingworth being called to give evidence for the prosecution at Johnson's expected trial, until he pleaded guilty.

He added: "A few of our passengers have commented about how lucky we were. It could have been us."