A MOTHER charged with manslaughter after allegedly pushing her ex-boyfriend off a river bridge has been committed to stand trial at crown court.

Christine Rhodes, 31, accused of the manslaughter of York man Paul Butterfield at Commercial Street, Tadcaster, on March 7, appeared before Selby magistrates yesterday.

Magistrates committed her for trial at Hull Crown Court on August 21.

She was released on bail on condition that she lives at her home address in Church Crescent, Stutton, and complies with a curfew order between 11pm and 6am.

Rhodes's solicitor Philip Brown agreed that reporting restrictions should continue to be lifted.

The restrictions were first lifted at the last court hearing on April 20 when Mr Brown said police had appealed for witnesses to come forward who may be able to give evidence that may aid the investigation.

He told magistrates then that there was a suggestion that one witness claimed to have seen a man climbing out of the river, and this evidence could be "potentially crucial" to the case.

Jane Chadwick, prosecuting, told the court in April that Rhodes and Mr Butterfield, 30, had been together for four years and had still been seeing each other regularly since they split up in October.

The defendant and Mr Butterfield had been in a public house in Tadcaster with their two-year-old child. Both parties had been drinking during the course of the afternoon and arguments developed between them.

Mrs Chadwick said the arguments continued after they left the pub, and Mr Butterfield was seen to climb on to the bridge parapet over the River Wharfe in Commercial Street.

She said Mr Butterfield was heard by witnesses to threaten to jump, and then Rhodes allegedly used her arm to push him into the river.

Mr Butterfield's disappearance sparked a huge search involving police frogmen and dog section, and a helicopter from West Yorkshire Police.

His body was finally discovered nearly four weeks later on April 2 by a police dog handler walking along the river bank.