TWO young men who were killed on a Fen road had been giving a driving lesson to a 14-year-old, the family of one of the victims has said. The boy, who cannot be named, has told the parents of one of the dead men that he had been driving for less than a mi

TWO young men who were killed on a Fen road had been giving a driving lesson to a 14-year-old, the family of one of the victims has said.

The boy, who cannot be named, has told the parents of one of the dead men that he had been driving for less than a mile before the accident happened.

Tributes have been paid to 22-year-olds Bob Hunt, from Sawtry - a former pupil at Sawtry Community College - and James Aylesbury from Stilton. They both died after a BMW the 14-year-old was driving went into a water-filled ditch.

Bob's father, John Hunt, invited the teenager to his home on Friday to tell him that they did not blame him for what happened on Monday, May 7.

He told The Hunts Post: "We don't want him to feel worse than he already does. He has got to live with what has happened. James had been driving and they decided to let the boy have a drive. Bob would have wanted to let the boy do what he would have liked to do at that age."

Mr Hunt, 47, owner of 5 Star Taxis in Sawtry, said: "I taught Bob to drive, off the road, when he was about 14. All young boys want to drive a car. We don't blame the boy at all - that young lad must be suffering terribly. He was very, very good friends with Bob.

"The police said that if the ditch had been dry, they might all have been laughing about this in a month's time, but the ditch had water in it."

Bob, an electrician who ran his own business, was travelling back from work with James, his friend and workmate, and the teenager whom they hoped to take on as an apprentice.

James had been lodging with the young boy's family in Yaxley. They had been working on the bank holiday to finish jobs before Bob was due to go on holiday last week.

The car left the bumpy, narrow, one-track road known as New Long Drove in Holme Fen.

The road is in the middle of farmland and first on the scene were farmers who got the victims out of the car.

Bob's devastated parents, Cindy and John, described how they had been only about 100 yards from the scene when the accident happened. They had gone out for a drive from their home in Sawtry to Yaxley.

Mrs Hunt said: "We saw the police cars and I knew it was him. I just knew. There were so many cars, so many flashing lights. We were so close but the road was blocked off so we couldn't go there. We just had to come home and wait for someone to knock on the door. We tried his phone several times but it was switched off."

Mr Hunt said his son's friend James had been a nice man with nice manners. "We had only known him a couple of months but Bob had known him longer. Bob had brought him home for dinner a couple of times. He was a nice young lad. He had been planning to go to college in September. He wanted to become an electrician and he wanted to train properly and pass the exams."

Mrs Hunt said Bob would like to be remembered "with a smile".

At 19, Bob had married and had a baby daughter who was born prematurely and died at five months. He and his wife separated.

Both Bob and his brother Billy had been members of Cambridgeshire Police Amateur Boxing Club, run by Mick Taylor. Bob had won several trophies including the Mid-Anglia Schoolboy Trophy, and the Eastern Counties Championship.

Mr Taylor said: "He was a typical boy. He was enthusiastic for anything and everything. He put his whole self into the sport, he was full of life. Everyone who knew Bob loved him. He was such a nice lad."

Nigel Smith, deputy principal of Sawtry Community College said: "Everyone is deeply saddened to hear this tragic news. Bobby was a very popular student and was well-liked by his teachers. He was a good sportsman and represented the college with distinction. Our thoughts are with his family and particularly Annie and Charlie, his sisters, who currently attend here."

Bob Hunt's funeral will be at All Saints' Church, Sawtry on Tuesday, May 22 at 3pm, followed by burial at St Andrew's Cemetery, Sawtry. Flowers should be sent to Peacocks Funeral Directors in Huntingdon.

n A boy, aged 14, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and bailed until July 9.