Friends take deceased's body from accident following bike smash
"I believe he may have already been dead"
THE BODY OF A man killed riding a stolen off-road motorbike was taken from the scene of the accident by two of his friends, a court has heard.
Daniel Oliver and Grant Smith bundled the body of Ricky Perry, 28, into a VW Golf following the fatal crash in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, in the early hours of September 21, 2009, an inquest has heard.
Kettering Magistrates' Court were told in a statement how upon arriving at the scene of the crash Oliver and Smith had tried to attain whether Mr Perry had a pulse but could not find one. The pair then lifted the deceased into the back of their car and took his body to the home of his girlfriend, Danielle Hobbs.
Both men were summonsed to appear in court but neither Oliver nor Smith turned up.
In a statement, Mr Smith said: "When we reached Priory Road we took Ricky out of the car and put him in the recovery position. We were already talking to the emergency services."
In a statement Mr Oliver admitted picking up Mr Perry and putting him in the car and said: "Before I moved Ricky I believe he may have already been dead."
Collision investigator PC Keith Millard told the inquest: "I suspect he (Mr Perry) was already dead at the scene. Moving him didn't make any difference to the injuries sustained."
Coroner Anne Pember recorded a verdict of accidental death.
Mrs Perry said she hoped the story of her son's death would help save lives on the roads.
She said: "We wanted to raise awareness for other parents and drum it into their kids to wear a crash helmet and protective clothing."
And not to nick other people's property, of course, Mrs Perry?
