A motorcyclist who died after crashing into a tree had attempted to overtake multiple vehicles just moments earlier, an inquest heard.

Car salesman Jamie Catchpole was found dead in a wooded area off the A134 in Lynford following the accident on August 26 last year.

That evening, he had gone out for an hour on his Suzuki motorbike after finishing work, and had told his wife he would be back for dinner.

But he lost control while attempting to overtake with traffic approaching in the opposite direction.

An inquest held at Norfolk Coroner's Court today heard how The 37-year-old, of Lord Nelson Drive in Norwich, suffered multiple bone and soft tissue damage.

In a statement read out by area coroner Yvonne Blake, road user Jason Cook said he was the first to be overtaken by Mr Catchpole that evening.

'He states the motorcycle stayed on the wrong side [of the road] as it overtook the two cars in front,' Ms Blake said.

'As the bike was going to overtake the third car, Mr Cook could see a 4x4 travelling in the opposite direction and was flashing its lights.

'Despite there being more than enough room for the bike to pull in front of the second vehicle, it carried on to overtake the third one.'

The inquest heard how Mr Catchpole had overtaken in a dip in the road, and other road users claimed he had been travelling at around 70 to 80mph.

Marcus Jacques Maciel, who was driving the final vehicle which Mr Catchpole had attempted to overtake, described how the gap in front of him had closed as oncoming traffic approached, and the motorcyclist continued off the carriageway.

The bike was found on fire and Mr Catchpole's body was discovered nearby.

The inquest heard that death would have been 'immediate' due to the force of the impact.

A forensic collision investigator said if Mr Catchpole had adhered to the highway code the incident 'may not have happened'.

The investigator added: 'It appears he took unnecessary risks while riding on this particular journey and unfortunately paid the price for his actions.'

Ms Blake concluded that Mr Catchpole died as a result of a road traffic collision.