Daughter pays tribute to Braintree crash victim Brian Thomas

Brian Thomas has been described as a "caring, thoughtful and persevering" father

The daughter of an 80-year-old man who died in a car crash has paid tribute to her "unique, fun and bantering" father.

Brian Thomas, 80, died in a single-vehicle crash at the Marks Farm roundabout in Braintree, Essex, in the early hours of 29 February.

The dad-of-two had been a "respected" maths teacher who was known for being "caring, thoughtful and persevering".

Essex Police said its inquiries into the collision were ongoing and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

The crash took place between 03:00 GMT and 03:45 GMT, police added.

The incident occurred at the Marks Farm roundabout in Braintree

Mr Thomas' daughter, who did not give her name, said in a statement that she was grateful to have recently celebrated her father's 80th birthday with him.

"His intelligence made him a good and respected teacher - of maths in particular - and he was good at maintaining silence in the classroom," she said.

"Brian was successful at crossword competitions, loved classical music and was also a keen golfer and chess player.

"He once ran a 100-mile race - as well as numerous marathons in South Africa - and won a silver medal in the well-known Comrades Marathon."

She added that his children referred to him lovingly as "Papa Bear".

A spokesperson for Essex Police urged anyone with dashcam footage of the incident to contact its officers.

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