LONDON VAUXHALL DEALERS

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.

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.