Man crushed by mower lay dead for two days

A RETIRED businessman lay dead in the grounds of his £2 million Victorian house for two days after his tractor toppled over and crushed him as he mowed the lawn.

Spencer Gradus, 52, had gone out on May 14 this year to mow the lawn of the fouracre gardens, which include an orchard, tennis court and outdoor swimming pool, when the tractor fell on top of him.

Mr Gradus, who stepped down as director of IT firm Systems Technology last year, and his ex-wife Zana were preparing to sell their eight-bedroom home in the village of Hernhill, Kent.

An inquest heard how Mr Gradus, a father of two, was expecting potential buyers to come the following day to look round the property.

But, as he mowed the lawn, he is believed to have lost control of the tractor after accidentally reversing it over the side of a steep bank.

The inquest at Folkestone Coroner’s Court heard that the tractor fell on top of Mr Gradus and killed him.

The alarm was not raised until May 16, despite the potential buyers turning up on May 15 and not getting an answer at the door. Mr Gradus’s body was found when a colleague spotted the tractor was missing from the garage, and found it on its side in the garden.

Zana Gradus told the inquest: “He loved cutting the grass. We had a full-time gardener, but he liked to spend a lot of time on the mower. He didn’t like the gardener doing the lawnmowing.”

Mr Gradus’s body was found at the bottom of the bank, pinned underneath the tractor.