Tributes paid to motorbike crash victim

By James Hore

THE pregnant girlfriend of a man who was killed in a motorbike accident paid tribute last night to his likeable and easygoing nature.

Michael Tavener, 31, died after he lost control of the Kawasaki motorbike he was riding and collided with a road sign.

Last night, his heartbroken girlfriend, Candy, said Mr Tavener's real love had been cars.

The 26-year-old, of Burnell Gate, Chelmsford, said: “He was more into cars, he liked bikes when he was a kid, but he had not had one for years, not since he was young.

“His real passion was his car, he was always happy tinkering with that and also in the last few years he really got into computing.

“He was self-taught and built PCs up for people and would fix anything for anybody. He was just a very likeable kind of person, very easy going, chilled out kind of guy.”

The couple, who have a young daughter, Aeryn, met about four years ago through Mr Tavener's work as a taxi driver.

Candy said the thought of her unborn baby and looking after her daughter was helping her through the difficult times.

“Friends and family have been helping out, I don't like to think about the future too much at the moment, we are just taking each day at a time,” she added.

Mr Tavener had been riding the green Kawasaki from White Hart Lane to Pump Lane in Chelmsford when he lost control of the bike at about 1am on Thursday.

He was taken to the town's Broomfield Hospital by ambulance, but Mr Tavener, of Burnell Gate, Chelmsford, died a few hours later.

Anyone with information about the accident should contact Chelmsford police on 01245 491212.

james.hore@eadt.co.uk