Car chase caused girl's death, court told - thisissomerset.co.uk
A 13-year-old schoolgirl was mown down and killed during a dangerous 80mph “game of chase” between two racing drivers, a court heard yesterday.
Amy Hofmeister died when a speeding Vauxhall Vectra hit a kerb, flipped over and ploughed into her and a pal, as they rode their bikes in a cycle lane.
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Amy Hofmeister
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Leanne Burnell is charged with causing the death of schoolgirl Amy Hofmeister
Vectra driver Leonard Jones, 42, had overtaken a Ford Focus driven by his girlfriend Leanne Burnell, 21, when he crashed at 50mph over the speed limit, the court heard.
The pair started the high-speed game – which forced other drivers to swerve to avoid being hit – after Jones yelled “I’ll catch her, I’ll catch her” to a friend, a jury was told.
He later admitted causing death by dangerous driving, but his girlfriend Burnell denied the same charge and faced a trial at Taunton Crown Court yesterday.
William Hunter, prosecuting, said: “Just over a year ago to the day 13-year-old Amy Hofmeister was with her friend Lucy Hawkins, riding their bicycles on a cycle path.
“A Vauxhall Vectra mounted the pavement and overturned, hitting both cyclists. Amy Hofmeister was killed.
“The Vauxhall Vectra was Leonard Jones’. He has pleaded guilty to the death of Amy Hofmeister by dangerous driving.
“He was driving too fast because, the prosecution say, he was playing a high-speed game of chase – or racing – with another car. He was winning that game. He had just overtaken that other car. That Ford Focus was being driven by the defendant.
“The prosecution’s case is that by playing this high speed, dangerous game on a built up road, where the speed limit is 30mph, Amy Hofmeister was killed.
“The defendant was playing games with Leonard Jones and is jointly responsible for the death.”
Taunton Crown Court was told that Amy, who dreamed of becoming a school teacher, died in the collision on Blackbrook Way, in Taunton, Somerset, at 7.30pm on June 15 last year. Her friend Lucy Hawkins was also injured, but survived.
The jury was told that Jones and Burnell, both from Taunton, had gone to eat at the nearby Harvester pub at around 5pm – leaving just before the crash.
Witnesses described seeing Burnell speed off in her Ford Focus, with Jones and friend Larry Grant following behind the Vectra. CCTV pictures showed the cars accelerating out of a Murco garage, next-door to the Harvester, before entering a bus lane and careering down the road.
Witness Sharon Symonds described the two cars as “playing games with each other”, the court heard.
Mr Hunter told the jury: “She says she saw the defendant turn around to the car behind her and smirk – showing, the prosecution says, that they were playing games with each other.”
The cars continued to race down the road, crossing a roundabout before turning onto Blackbrook Way, where Jones overtook the Ford Focus, the court heard.
Oncoming driver Tina Beckhurst later told police she was forced to slow down and swerve out of the way, as Jones passed the Ford Focus on a bend.
Vectra passenger Larry Grant, giving evidence, told the court the car reached 80mph in the “chase” and estimated Burnell’s Focus would have been travelling at around 60mph. The witness, who was also injured in the crash, said Jones had told him “I’ll catch her, I’ll catch her” as he sped towards Burnell.
He said: “I told him to slow down. I was panicking because of the speed he was driving – it was reckless. We hit the curb and flipped over. I can’t recall seeing anything.”
Jones was arrested at the scene – but lied to police and told them another friend, who had fled, was driving. Burnell was arrested later that evening and also lied to the police.
She claimed to have only been travelling at between 20 to 25mph and had not gone on the same route as her boyfriend. But CCTV pictures, shown to the jury, showed her car just in front of Jones’ vehicle shortly before the crash.
Investigators calculated her average speed to be around 65mph, while the Vectra was estimated to be doing around 81mph.
The trial, expected to last for four days, continues.
'It's sexier in the city': Why randy Boris Johnson loves London life - Daily Mail
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Cities appeal for many reasons - a thriving nightlife, a kaleidoscope of culture and the higher salaries.
But London Mayor Boris Johnson has claimed crowds of men flock to the capital because there are a 'greater range of girls of reproductive choice' found occupying London's bars and nightclubs.
The Mayor, who has cheated on two wives including his current other half Marina, says men are drawn to the high numbers of women in urban areas.
Better options: Mayor of London Boris Johnson has declared that he loves city love so much because there is 'a greater range of girls' to choose from in bars
In a searingly honest interview, Mr Johnson said he was motivated by fame and that he wants to assume 'supreme power in England' despite admitting recently that he is more likely to be 'decapitated by a frisbee' than succeed Mr Cameron as Prime Minister.
He said: 'We seek cities because there are a greater range of girls at the bar, of reproductive choice.
'But above all, talented people seek cities for fame. They can't get famous in the f****** village'.
In his most glaring statement of intent so far, Mr Johnson said he wants to become Prime Minister so that he can build a new airport in the South-East.
Frisky: Mr Johnson has previously been caught cheating on his second wife Marina (pictured)
The former MP has irritated Mr Cameron’s aides with hints that he would do a better job than his Eton and Oxford contemporary.
But in recent months he has stressed that he would serve a second full term as mayor, claiming that he is more likely to be ‘reincarnated as an olive’ than to succeed Mr Cameron.
His latest comments come on a tour of New York, the city of his birth, to promote his new book Johnson’s Life Of London: The People Who Made The City That Made The World.
Mr Johnson – a firm advocate of an island airport on the Thames – told New York Magazine: 'London is the most commercially important city in Europe, and it’s the most populous city.
Honest: His latest comments came while promoting his new book on a tour of New York, where he appeared on the David Letterman show
'It should be for the whole of the European continent what New York is to America. That’s what it should be. And in many ways it is.
‘We have to have a new airport.One of the only reasons I want to assume supreme power in England is to make sure that happens.’
He then added: 'For God’s sake, don’t quote me saying that.'
A Downing Street spokesman confirmed that an ‘aviation strategy’ would be published in autumn.
A Tory MP described Mr Johnson’s admission as ‘a refreshing blast of honesty and self-awareness’, adding: ‘It is a collector’s item.’
London Welsh's appeal against Premiership promotion block is delayed - The Guardian
London Welsh's appeal against the decision to block their promotion to the Aviva Premiership has been delayed by a week.
The case will now be heard on 28 June – it was originally scheduled for 21 June – under an agreement by all parties involved.
The independent panel will be James Dingemans QC (chairman), Ian Mill QC and Tim Ward QC at a venue yet to be confirmed.
Welsh won this season's Championship after beating Cornish Pirates in both legs of the final.
But the Richmond-based club were told just hours before the first leg kicked off in Cornwall they did not meet minimum standards criteria set down by English rugby's Professional Game Board for entry to the Premiership.
The Exiles played the final's second leg at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, which is thought to be their preferred venue should they gain top-flight status.
As things stand, Newcastle will remain in the Premiership next term despite finishing bottom by a point behind Wasps this season.
But should London Welsh succeed in overturning an original decision that went against them, then they will go up and the Falcons be relegated.
Vauxhall launches new 195-HP turbodiesel Astra GTC together with refresh - Autoblog
2012-06-15
- Brit-built Astra Hatch and Sports Tourer get new, bold look
- New GTC BiTurbo diesel becomes most powerful non-VXR Astra model
- All Astras now available with range of new options, including Front Camera System
- Underpins Astra success as best-selling British-built car in UK
Luton – These are the first official pictures of the new-look Astra Hatch and Sports Tourer, along with the latest addition to the GTC range, the 195PS BiTurbo diesel model.
Available to order now, with first deliveries in September, the refreshed design of the Astra Hatch and Sports Tourer – both of which are built at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant in Cheshire – gives the cars a more bold and aggressive appearance. Both body styles get a new front grille, with repositioned logo-bar in the upper section and a re-styled lower section too. New front indicator lamps and a new design of fog lamp (where fitted) complete the front-end revisions.
The rear of both models has also been refreshed, with new rear-panel styling complemented by a chrome lower moulding.
New-look Astra pricing remains unchanged from the previous model.
Also available to order from today is the Astra GTC 2.0 CDTiBiTurbo, which will become the most powerful non-VXR model in the range, producing 195PS and 400Nm of torque. And while the extra power and torque give it a healthy lift in performance with 0-60mph arriving in just 7.8 seconds and a top speed of 139mph, the BiTurbo still achieves a combined 53.3mpg and C02 emissions of 139g/km. All BiTurbos receive Vauxhall's Start/Stop system as standard.
Uniquely in this class, the GTC uses a sequential turbocharging system, with the smaller turbo accelerating quickly at lower speeds to eliminate 'lag', providing 350Nm of torque from just 1500rpm. In the mid-range, both turbochargers work together providing maximum torque of 400Nm between 1750-2500rpm.
The Astra GTC BiTurbo enters the range at £23,925 – a premium of £995 over the GTC 2.0 CDTi 165PS model – but in addition to extra power and torque, receives: bespoke 18-inch alloy wheels, Electronic Climate Control, 6mm lower ride-height, a new body-kit and 'Track' interior trim, with a flat-bottomed leather steering wheel.
Enhancing the appeal of all Astra models still further is the introduction of a raft of options previously unseen in the range. Customers can now order the Driver Assistance Pack, which for £750 includes features like Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition and Following Distance Indicator.
Other new options for the Hatch and Sports Tourer only include a Rear View Camera Pack, Winter Pack (heated steering wheel and seats for £345) and LED daytime running lights (£145). Three new colours – Sculpture Bronze, Phantom Grey and Deep Sky – have also been introduced, while the Astra's standard DAB radio has been upgraded to a DMB (Digital Media Broadcast) system across the range.
As with all Vauxhall passenger cars, Lifetime Warranty is standard, giving first owners the peace of mind of a warranty that literally lasts the car's lifetime, up to a maximum 100,000 miles.
London Welsh's promotion appeal date put back one week - BBC News
The date of London Welsh's appeal to the Rugby Football Union (RFU) over their eligibility for promotion to the Premiership has been put back one week.
The appeal, which was originally scheduled for Thursday, will now take place on 28 June.
An independent audit found the Championship winners had not achieved the minimum standards criteria for entry to the top flight.
The Exiles had submitted plans to groundshare with Oxford United.
The RFU has announced that James Dingemans QC will chair the independent panel for the appeal, alongside Ian Mill QC and Tim Ward QC.
Newcastle Falcons will remain in the Premiership, despite finishing bottom of the table, unless Welsh's appeal is successful.
London Welsh sealed the Championship title in May after beating Cornish Pirates 66-41 over two legs.
Uh... he's right. And the (on average) better salaries. I'm hardly here for the overcrowdiness, high council tax, rent etc.
- Jeff, London, 19/6/2012 13:59
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