A motorcyclist who died after crashing into a road barrier near Dartford had been under investigation for serious offences, an inquest has revealed.

Held this week at Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone, the inquest into the death of Stephen Ayres, 46, ended in an open verdict, but heard there was evidence to support the possibility Mr Ayres had ridden deliberately into the barrier on the A2 near the Darenth Interchange.

Mr Ayres, from Welling, died from multiple injuries after the accident, at around 8.30pm on May 16 this year, and crash investigator Robin Youngs, who was on the scene shortly afterwards, said there was no sign that Mr Ayres had braked or taken avoidance measures before the collision.

"I considered whether he deliberately drove into the barrier to harm himself", said Mr Youngs. "He was under investigation by the Met Police for serious offences."

He said the bike would need to have been driven directly at the barrier to cause such a direct impact, and there was no evidence of fatigue or third party involvement.

The weather was said to be fine and although there were defective street lights in the area, Mr Youngs attended the scene at the same time the next day and determined daylight levels were sufficient that street lights were not an issue in the crash.

Coroner Roger Hatch also read a witness statement from Rachel Joyce, who was also driving on the London bound carriageway - in the same direction as Mr Ayres - at the time of the crash.

"I was driving in lane two," she said. "There was no traffic to the left of me and no traffic in front of me, which I thought was strange. The sun was going down and the weather was clear and dry. When I first saw the motorcyclist in front of me he was already on the zig-zag lines and he had been for some time.

"I had noticed him because he was on the zig-zag lines and I wondered where he was going - I was watching him and I thought 'no he's going to turn off.' I looked away for a second as I thought 'if he does hit it, what's going to happen?'

"I thought 'is he having a heart attack or a fit or a stroke?' but he was sitting up holding on to his bike. He was holding onto the bike with two hands, he was upright. He looked like he was in a normal riding position.

She added: "He hit the hard shoulder barrier, the bike tumbled and he was thrown up over the handle bars in a slightly diagonal line.

"I moved to the third lane as there was a tyre flying across the road - I'm not sure if he hit anything else."

Having stopped and got out of her car she called 999, and described how cars were swerving and debris was flying up in the air as others on the scene tried to perform CPR on Mr Ayres.

She found a traffic cone and placed it further down the road, and emergency services were soon on the scene.

Having heard the evidence Mr Hatch concluded: "there seems no certainty as to why it was Mr Ayres left the road and collided with the barrier.

"There have been a number of suggestions put forward but I'm not satisfied that they can assist. I leave my conclusion as being open."

Police were unable to confirm the nature of the serious offences Mr Ayres was under investigation for.

Mr Ayres had worked for the art department of Country Life magazine, which ran a tribute to him following the fatal crash.

"It is with great sadness that we report the death of Steve Ayres, a member of the Country Life team for many years," it read . "Steve was originally recruited more than 10 years ago from Country Life’s reprographic house, F E Burman, where he regularly performed all sorts of miracles on pictures.

"I looked away for a second as I thought 'if he does hit it, what's going to happen?"

"Steve was a member of the close-knit art team that was shortlisted for a BSME award last year. He also turned his hand to writing last summer when he and a friend took a motorbike tour of Scotland that was the culmination of many years of planning. Steve was hugely proud of his association with the magazine, was the life and soul of any social occasion and everyone looked forward to his visits to Farnborough.

"Country Life Editor Mark Hedges pays tribute: ‘Steve played an enormous role in perfecting the look of Country Life. Numerous covers and great features enjoyed his genius touch; whenever a picture needed cheering up — a dog’s paw filled in, a house that needed the lights turned on or a rose bush that needed extending — the call would go up: “This needs the Steve treatment!”

"He was not only talented, but also an exceptionally kind man, who would do anything for anyone, and we shall miss his cheerful presence very much.'"

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