Niki Walker with daughters Kacey Mae, two, and three-month-old Poppy-Jo

by Nicola Jordan

A heartbroken mum has paid tribute to her son - a young dad killed in a "freak" road accident.

Niki Walker, from Strood, died after getting out of a car late at night in a country lane.

The 27-year-old devoted family man, who had been visiting friends in Reading, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Niki, who lived in South Eastern Road, had been looking forward to marrying his long-term girlfriend Emily Brown and bringing up his daughters who he described as his "little princesses".

His mum Georgina Walker, 62, who lives nearby in Montfort Road, said: "We are a very close-knit family and we are still in denial.

"Niki was a people person. You couldn't walk down the street with him without being stopped half a dozen times – from a young kid to a granny."

The former Temple School pupil used to play for Gillingham's Black Lion junior football team, but his real passion was motorbikes.

"niki was a people person. you couldn't walk down the street with him without being stopped half a dozen times – from a young kid to a granny…” – niki walker's mum georgina walker

Niki - dad to Lacey Mae, two, three-month-old Poppy-Jo - was nine when he got his first off-road bike. He had planned to get Kacey Mae a quad bike for Christmas.

His step-dad Gary Gamble, 61 said: "He had a great sense of humour. He used to think of himself as a cross between Del Boy and Arthur Daley. He was a true show man."

At the time of his death, Niki was unemployed after being signed-off with an injury caused when working as a roadworks contractor.

Georgina, a retired teaching assistant, said: "The last time I saw him he joked about getting a walking stick, but then he said he was glad he'd got the buggy to walk out with his little girls."

Niki’s funeral is due to be held at All Saints' Church, Frindsbury, this afternoon.

Georgina said: "All I can say is that it was a freak accident and we will never know exactly what happened. We have 296 messages on Facebook, so we are expecting a big turnout."

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