A FATHER from Crewe had been drinking at his parent’s ruby wedding anniversary hours before crashing his motorbike, an inquest heard.

37-year-old Bentley employee Anthony Mark Tomkinson, of Holbury Close, died on Church Minshull New Road on October 16 2011, after losing control of his Blue Yamaha F600 Thundercat.

The night before his accident he went to his parent’s 40th wedding anniversary party at the Peacock hotel in Nantwich.

Father Philip Tomkinson said: “He seemed joyful. He was playing party games. He was in good spirits.”

The inquest at Crewe law courts heard that Anthony had drunk about 5 pints, and got a lift home with a relative.

“He was stopping with us the night, but as soon as we got him home he changed his mind. I’ve no idea why,” said Philip.

Anthony’s former partner, Sally Oakes, with whom he had two daughters, told the inquest that Anthony was a loving father, who maintained a good relationship with her and saw his children regularly.

“He got his bike in April last year. He’d been saving up for it. He had been riding six months before that; about 12 months altogether.”

After visiting Anthony at 1pm before the party, Ms Oakes said she received a number of texts from Anthony later that night.

Ms Oakes said Anthony had sent a text with a ‘sad face’ emoticon attached.

“I think he wanted me to ring him, but I was in bed,” she said When the police came round the next morning, Ms Oakes said the windscreen wipers had been pulled upward on her car, which she said was ‘quite unusual’.

Ms Oakes’ nephew Jordan Oakes described Anthony as a ‘a really nice guy; a genuine, laid back character, who was always having a laugh.”

Mr Oakes said Anthony was carrying a can of lager when he picked him up from his parent’s house at around 12.30pm.

Mr Oakes described Anthony as a ‘sensible’ rider.

“He always used to say that he had two kids now, so he had to be careful,” he said.

Paramedic Robert Sumner was transporting an elderly passenger to hospital at around 1am on October 16 when he discovered the body of Antony lying at the foot of a lamppost on Minshull New Road.

“I saw some debris in the road and what looked like a wheelie bin that had been pushed over. When I got closer I could see that it was a motorbike. As I looked left I could see there was a casualty lying on the grass verge.”

Anthony was rushed to Leighton hospital, but doctors could not revive him. He was pronounced dead at 1.54am.

Steve Binns, Cheshire police collision investigator, said Anthony’s bike had been travelling at 40mph when it hit the kerb. Anthony was found at the foot of a lamppost. “It is possible that he was distracted or that it is sleep related, or linked to alcohol consumption,” he said.

Tests showed Anthony had 145mg of alcohol in his blood. The legal limit is 80.

Coroner, Dr Geoff Roberts said: “Anthony spent a pleasant evening at a family celebration, during the course of which he consumed an amount of alcohol, which alerted him in the usual, sensible way, to get a lift home. For whatever reason he later got on his motorbike.”

Dr Roberts recorded a cause of accidental death arising from multiple injuries.