British tourist killed in moped crash while celebrating Christmas in Thailand on dream break
Lee Mullen, 45, was not wearing a helmet when he ploughed into a lamppost on Christmas Eve
A BRITISH tourist was killed in a moped crash while celebrating Christmas in Thailand, an inquest heard.
Construction worker Lee Mullen, 45 - who was not wearing a helmet - suffered fatal head injuries when he ploughed into a lamppost on Christmas Eve.
A group of his friends who had been attending a party at a nearby bar heard the smash and ran over to help - only to discover the victim was Mr Mullen. It is thought he died at the scene.
Mr Mullen, from Hattersley, Greater Manchester, died at Nong Kae in the country's Hua Hin district a month after arriving in Thailand for a three month holiday.
Sister-in-law Rachel Mullen told an inquest in Stockport: "He was interested in travelling and he had been to Thailand a few times over the past five years and I believe he got a girlfriend over there.
''She never came over here because she lived there, he just spoke about her. The purpose of the visit in November was a holiday to spend some time there.
"He was due to come home in February. He had a friend out there called Peter, that's how the information came back to the UK. I've never met him before.
"Lee had been riding on a scooter and was on his way back home, he passed a bar and crashed into a lamppost. That's all we got told.
"He didn't ride a motorbike in this country, he drove a van. He had ridden over there numerous times before though. I think through pictures on Facebook was how I knew he had rode them before but he actually bought this one out there.
"He was not wearing a helmet. My husband and I used to go to India all the time and it's the same thing there with the amount of motorbikes, people don't wear them. There was no other vehicles involved we were told."
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David Sands, who had known Mr Mullen for over 30 years and regularly visited Thailand himself, said: "Lee was going out to meet Peter. He never stopped with him, he used to sort places out.
"I was intending to go out there as well but I broke my ankle.
"I spoke through Facebook Messenger, it was night time here, in the middle of the night but just coming into the morning over there . I went off to bed and the day was just starting in Thailand.
"He would have gone to have a coffee and cigarette first then get something to eat, maybe do a bit of fishing on the pond and go for a couple of pints, then you would just do what you wanted to do. It was a time of relaxation.
"I received a phone call later that day. It was about 10pm over there and three-ish here. It was Peter and he said Lee had been killed. I thought he was having a laugh and he started crying.
"All I got told was that Peter was at home and Lee drove past a party at a bar on the corner. The person's party it was ran over and they thought it was a Thai lad and dragged him out.
"Then they recognised it was Lee. Everybody knows each other over there.
"Peter was rung and by the time he got to where the ambulance was he was in the back with a sheet covered over and he had to go and identify the body at the hospital.
"Nobody witnessed it. There was no other third party involvement. Motorbikes are a way of transport over there. Everyone rides them without a helmet."
The hearing was told toxicological tests could not be carried out in the UK to determine if Mr Mullen was under the influence at the time of the crash.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, Assistant Coroner Andrew Bridgeman, said: "Mr Mullen lost control of a motorcycle. He sustained a massive head injury which ended his life.
"It's a tragic accident but that doesn't make it any easier in any circumstances."
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