AN inquest into the deaths of a young Malvern couple whose car hit a barn wall just outside Upton has decided they died accidentally.

Deputy coroner Tim Sherwood said yesterday (Thursday) that forensic reports showed both Paul Kitsull, 31, and his 22-year-old fiance, Cheryl Lewis, died from multiple injuries.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, he said blood tests had found no trace of drugs or alcohol in their systems.

PC Michael Dickens, who attended the crash scene at 10.25pm on December 29, told how he found both bleeding from head wounds and without a pulse. He said Mr Kitsull was slumped across the passenger seat and Miss Lewis had been thrown clear of the car.

PC Dicken's evidence that the surface of the road was not icy at the time was corroborated by the statement of Roger Smith, who alerted police after driving past the scene.

Sandra Cooper and Raymond Pedlingham, who had dined with the pair at the Drum and Monkey pub that evening, told how they had left with the intention of meeting the couple at their Malvern Wells flat.

Ms Cooper, a work colleague of Miss Lewis', recalled that the pair had been talking about a holiday and seemed in good spirits.

"They were really happy," she said. "There were no arguments."

The coroner read out a statement from police vehicle examiner William Walker which said no indication of structural or mechanical failure was found in Mr Kitsull's Mazda RX7. The statement concluded that the couple had not been wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

PC Graham Powell said the section of the A4104 where the accident took place was in a "reasonable condition", adding that he had driven along the road at the 60mph limit without loss of control.

After the hearing, Miss Lewis' father, Mike, said a lot of questions had been left unanswered and he felt speed had been a factor in the accident.