THE mother of a teenage cyclist is calling for the motorist responsible for her death to be barred from Taunton when he is freed from jail this summer.

Jane Hofmeister is determined to prevent Leonard Jones, 45, from setting foot in the county town to avoid any chance of coming face to face with the man who caused her daughter’s death.

The last time they were in the same room was when Jones, of Mulberry Close, Taunton, was sent down for seven years for causing the death by dangerous driving of 13-year-old Amy Hofmeister after his car hit her as she cycled along Blackbrook Way in June 2011.

Jones’s former girlfriend, Leanne Burnell, 23, was forced to move away from the area when she was banned from entering Taunton on her release from prison 21 months into her 3½-year term for the same offence, which she denied at trial.

Burnell, whose family live in Bishop’s Hull, and who had a baby while serving her sentence in Eastwood Park women’s prison in Gloucestershire, had been racing Jones in another car leading up to the crash.

Mrs Hofmeister, who has set up the Think Amy charity in her daughter’s memory to educate people about safe driving, said: “Leonard Jones comes out in June and I’m trying to get an exclusion zone put in place.

“This is an important year for me and my family – it’s four years since Amy’s death in June and she’d have been 18 in July.

“Leonard Jones is coming out in June and if I’m walking through Taunton, I don’t want him to be there.

“The prison service informs me of the situation and asks my wishes – I’ve told them I want an exclusion zone.”

Jones, who mouthed the word “sorry” to Mrs Hofmeister when the judge sent him down after he pleaded guilty, told the court at the time that he planned to live in Leeds on his release and would not return to Taunton.

Burnell, whose original 18-month sentence was judged “too lenient” on appeal, will not be allowed back into Taunton until next January, when her licence expires, but any exclusion on Jones would remain in place until 2018.

Mrs Hofmeister is unhappy with the law that allows prisoner’s to be freed on licence before completing their full stretch inside.

“I don’t believe that’s justice – if you’re given a prison sentence, you should serve it,” she said. “But I have to abide by the law.

“Because of that, I’m determined more than ever to keep Amy’s memory alive and to drive home the importance of safe driving to prevent another death like Amy’s.”

Mrs Hofmeister is available to speak to schools, colleges and businesses about safe driving under the Think Amy banner and recently addressed 1,500 students from Bridgwater and Cannington Colleges over a fortnight, along with Somerset Road Safety.

Anyone interested in her giving a talk should e-mail thinkamycampaign@gmail.com The prison service declines to comment on individual cases.