A YOUNG Kent farmer has lost his 16-week battle for life after a horrific motorcycle crash. Richard Jenner, 30, of Goudhurst Road, Marden, near Maidstone, died from severe burns at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford.

He was taken to hospital after his Kawasaki bike crashed in Marden on May 19. The machine burst into flames in an accident involving two other vehicles, leaving Mr Jenner with 90 per cent burns.

Mr Jenner's mother, Gill, said: "The family is totally devastated. We feel a part of us is missing. He was so tall and strong and brave and full of life. How we will remember him is sitting on a tractor with a big smile."

She added: "He had the most devastating injuries and despite everybody's best efforts he ultimately died."

She added: "Despite the severity of his illness and being on life support machines, he still managed a grin and a raised eyebrow in hospital all the way through."

Mr Jenner was a pupil at Dulwich Preparatory School, Cranbrook, and Tonbridge School before gaining a BSc in agriculture at Reading University. Following his graduation he spent a year in Australia, working on a farm in New South Wales, before returning to Marden to work on the family farm. Among Mr Jenner's grieving relatives is his uncle, borough councillor and former Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Robert Judd.