On 18/06/2012 20:31, Bertie Wooster wrote:

A 13-year-old schoolgirl was mown down and killed during a dangerous
81mph 'game of chase' between two racing drivers, a court heard today.
Amy Hofmeister died when a speeding Vauxhall Vectra hit a curb,
flipped over and ploughed into her and a pal, as they rode their bikes
in a cycle lane.
Vectra driver Leonard Jones, 42, and his girlfriend Leanne Burnell,
21, were racing at 50mph over the speed limit when the accident
happened.
Jones had just overtaken his partner's Ford Focus when the crash
happened.
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 went on trial at Taunton
Crown Court today.
However, William Hunter, prosecuting, told the court that Burnell was
also instrumental in causing the accident.
He said: 'She was effectively encouraging Leonard Jones to drive
dangerously by egging him on smiling and smirking at him.'
Describing what happened, Mr Hunter added: '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, 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 cant 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.
The trial, expected to last for four days in front of Judge Graham
Hume Jones, continues.

Read mo
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1yArHaQau

The Daily Mail isn't what it once was. There was a time when you could have
counted on it to spell "kerb" correctly.

More comment (perhaps) when the case is no longer sub-judice.