A journalist told a jury how he saw police arrest a young teenager during a disturbance on a Brighton estate.

Nigel Freedman told a trial at Hove Crown Court yesterday he went to the Whitehawk estate on April 28 last year to report on an outbreak of trouble.

He saw about 30 to 40 youths gathered in Whitehawk Way and Plaistow Close.

They were taunting and jeering the police and he also witnessed missiles being thrown towards the officers.

Mr Freedman, an Argus reporter, said when the youth, who was 14, was arrested it aggravated the crowd and violence escalated.

He said the boy was put forcibly to the ground. He saw an officer kneel across the boy's shoulders and the side of the teenager's face was in a pool of rainwater.

Mr Freedman said: "I felt myself that the force used was too harsh for a juvenile."

He later heard a woman screaming and saw a police dog had her leg in its mouth.

Mr Freedman was giving evidence during the fourth week of a trial where eight people are charged with violent disorder. They have all denied the offence.

They are Lee Gumbrill, 18, of Swallow Close, Darren Larbey, 22, of Findon Road, Ricky Rider, 29, of Haybourne Road, Leon Page, 19, of Plaistow Close, Asa McBride, 18, of Haybourne Close, plus three other youths who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Two other teenagers, who also cannot be named, changed their plea to guilty earlier in the trial.

During the trial the jury has heard how the police were called to the estate after trouble broke out in the early evening.

Officers claimed a mob of youths were chanting abuse, taunting the police and throwing missiles.

The jury has been shown hours of video recordings taken from CCTV cameras on the estate.

The trial continues.