THE son of a leading churchman died in a horrific crash after he rode his motorbike at more than twice the speed limit, an inquest heard.

Christopher Gibson, the 31-year-old son of the Archdeacon of Auckland, the Venereable Granville Gibson, and his wife, Edna, had accelerated to 70mph when he skidded on a frosty road in South Shields, Tyneside, and was thrown from his 1,000cc Yamaha into the path of a bus.

Last week, on the birthday that Christopher would have shared with his twin, Cathryn, they covered the scene with flowers.

Archdeacon Gibson, from Etherley Lane, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, said yesterday: "He was a happy man and he wanted other people to be happy."

The archdeacon, who has two older sons, Julian and Paul, said the family was grateful to a motorist and a paramedic who tried to help their son.

The inquest heard that Christopher, who worked as a quality controller at a factory in West Boldon, near Sunderland, was thrown from the bike after he tried to overtake a car. A verdict of accidental death was recorded.

Since the accident last February, his friends have placed a bench near the scene on the Coast Road, overlooking the sea and the cliffs.