GRIEVING mother Ruth Brookman has spoken of the family's heartbreak after the case against the driver of the quad bike on which her son Daniel died was delayed.

Mr Brookman's best friend Nicholas Pearce, 21, of Fosse Farm Cottage, Chippenham, was due to appear at Gloucester Magistrates Court on Wednesday charged with careless driving.

He had been driving the bike on the Gatcombe Park Estate, near Stroud, with Mr Brookman, 19, as a passenger on August 7 when the bike overturned, crushing Mr Brookman.

Ruth Brookman, 42, of West Kington, and her husband Jon, 43, attended the hearing on Wednesday only to learn the defence lawyer had turned up at the wrong court, meaning the case would be adjourned for four weeks.

Pearce also failed to turn up at the hearing, but the reason for his absence has not been confirmed.

Mrs Brookman said: "It was horrific. We are heartbroken enough without Dan and this just adds to the pain. We are very disappointed to be messed around without any knowledge of what was likely to happen.

"For us it was horrendous to have to sit there and we are very disappointed that our emotions have been played around with again."

She said while the family felt no bitterness towards Pearce and did not blame him for Daniel's death they just wanted to close the chapter and move on with their lives. "This just drags us back to the time of Dan's death and we are not able to close the book on that section," she said. "It was very difficult to sit there on Wednesday but we will be going again in four weeks and see what it brings."

Prosecutor Andrew Walters told the court he had spoken to defence solicitor John Dillon, who admitted he had gone to Stroud Magistrates Court by mistake.

Mr Walters said: "We had expected the defence solicitor to be here today and we had expected to make some progress. However, it would seem that they were going to apply in any event to adjourn today."

He suggested the case should be adjourned for four weeks to give the defence time to read through case papers.

"I suggest that for personal reasons involving the family of the deceased in this accident and for the defence to consider what is quite a voluminous file," he said. "Putting it as bluntly as I can, I also say that so that the family of the deceased do not have to go through any more trauma than is absolutely necessary."

He said the defence lawyers had apologised to everybody involved in the proceedings.

Magistrate chairman Fred Howarth rapped the absent solicitor for causing the delay and said: "We deplore the delay on the part of the solicitors for the defence."

The case was adjourned until May 3.