MYSTERY still surrounds the death of a motorcyclist who lay in a muddy ditch for two days before his body was discovered.

York Coroner Donald Coverdale recorded an open verdict on the death of 21-year-old Kevin Dixon, of Osbaldwick Lane, York. He was discovered by police lying face down in a drainage ditch containing muddy water in Moor Lane, between Murton and Stockton-on-the-Forest, at 4.30am, on Friday, June 28, last year.

A welder for Thrall Europa, Kevin was last seen by his family two days earlier when his mother dropped him off in York so he could collect his motorbike, a blue Yamaha R6, from Transit Motorcycles in Toft Green. Family and friends launched a search for him when he failed to return home that night.

But Mr Coverdale told a York inquest it was impossible to know what had caused Kevin's motorbike to leave the road and plough through a roadside hedge, before ending up 20ft away in the ditch alongside his body.

The accident happened on a straight section of road and there is no evidence that any other vehicle was involved. No drugs or alcohol were found in Kevin's system.

PC Timothy Alderson, of North Yorkshire Police, carried out a thorough inspection of the motorcycle and found no faults which would explain the tragedy although the bike was well overdue its 16,000-mile service. But Kevin's family told police he had been unhappy with the bike's performance before the accident.

Mr Coverdale said: "It is possible that Mr Dixon was confronted by another motorist, but that can only be speculation. It may be he was distracted by giving attention to the sound of his engine or the way in which the machine was performing, but that can only be speculation."

A post-mortem examination showed Kevin died almost instantly from multiple injuries including damage to his spine, lungs, liver and spleen.

Kevin's friend, Paul Gowland, of Heather Bank, Osbaldwick, searched the Sherburn-in-Elmet area for Kevin when he heard about his disappearance from Kevin's father, Norman Dixon.

He said: "He was a careful, safe rider. Even though he had been riding for a relatively short time, I would say he was competent."

Kevin's body was discovered after police found a large gap in the hedge in Moor Lane, which had been caused by Kevin's motorbike.

Updated: 10:56 Thursday, July 31, 2003