A young motorcyclist killed when he crashed into a tree was riding a bike too powerful for his licence, an inquest has heard.

Plumber Jack Whichello, 20, died after his Suzuki 650 came off the A291 at Herne last August.

Witnesses told the hearing yesterday (Wednesday) that they heard and saw bikers “screaming” and “roaring” past seconds before the collision.

The tragedy happened on the afternoon of Monday, August 27, while keen biker Jack, of Livingstone Road, Gillingham, was out riding with friends.

A pathologist said he died instantly from severe head injuries.

Kevin Hardan, of Sydney Road, Whitstable, was driving towards Herne Bay when he saw the accident.

He told assistant coroner James Dillon: "I was stuck behind a lorry when two bikes went screaming past in the opposite direction going well above the speed limit. They were going much too fast and were just gone.

"I then heard another bike which looked like it was going even faster, like he was trying to catch up. Then there was a cloud of dust and it went into a tree. It didn’t seem to make any attempt to turn."

Mr Hardan stopped his Mazda and rushed to help the rider, whose helmet had come off, but said he was motionless.

Another witness, builder David Wright, of Hampton Pier Avenue, was a passenger in a car heading towards Canterbury but got stuck in traffic in Herne.

He described seeing Jack’s Suzuki overtake them while they were stationary and narrowly missing an oncoming car before accelerating hard away. Minutes later, they came across the crash scene.

Nicholas Ayling, the former landlord of the nearby First and Last, was in the pub when he heard the “roaring” sound of the bikes before a loud bang and then silence.

"I would say all the bikes were going in excess of the 40mph speed limit," he said.

Mr Ayling rushed to the crash scene but quickly realised nothing could be done for Jack and covered his body with a sheet.

DC Aaron Hammond, of Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said tests revealed no defects with the bike that would have caused the accident.

But he told the inquest a skid mark on the road and a matching mark on the tyre indicated Jack had been trying to slow down.

He said it had not been possible to determine the exact speed of the bike when it left the road as he rounded a gentle right hand bend.

A study of the scene also revealed Jack’s bike may have crossed over a water utility cover in the road, but an inspection concluded that although slightly sunken, it was not considered unsafe.

Investigators also found the bike’s number plate had been stored under the seat and that the bike’s power had not been limited as required to comply with Luke’s restricted licence.

Recording that Jack had died in a road traffic collision, Mr Dillon said: "Jack was riding an unrestricted vehicle more powerful than he was licensed to ride.

"We have heard evidence from a number of witnesses that he was travelling over the speed limit but equally we have heard expert evidence from the police that his speed cannot be accurately gauged.

"More importantly, we are not able to say what caused Jack to leave the carriageway to the nearside.

"Without any reliable evidence to his speed I cannot say with any degree of certainty that he lost control by reason of that, although there was evidence of him trying to slow down.

"The reason for him not displaying a number plate can only be guessed at."

Speaking outside the court, Jack’s father Paul said: “Teenagers do silly things. I’m just glad that he didn’t suffer.”