THE FAMILY of dead millionaire motorcycle dealer John Potter is standing by him over child sex allegations involving teenage boys.

Mr Potter - the man behind Southampton Harley Davidson dealer Dockgate 20 - was found dead in the garage of his home by a member of his family, as revealed in yesterday's Daily Echo.

He died from a single gunshot wound to the head just days before he was due to be interviewed by police. There are no suspicious circumstances.

In a statement issued through solicitors, Mr Potter's family said he was a "beloved husband and father".

The 49-year-old lived in Herne Bay, Kent, with his wife Carol, 46. He had sons Daniel and Russell and a teenage daughter.

The statement added that Mr Potter "was not the subject of any criminal charges at the time of his death and any suggestion of any wrong doing on his part, was and is adamantly denied."

As part of a police investigation into allegations of indecent assault on two 15-year-old boys Mr Potter was due to report to Southampton police on August 25.

A spokeswoman for Hampshire Police said: "The case is now closed. Because of his death we never had the chance to interview him."

Drama had surrounded the 49-year-old's arrest when police turned up to question him at his Millbrook bike showroom, Dockgate 20, in May.

As officers arrived, Mr Potter plunged from the first-floor toilet window and was rushed to Southampton General Hospital with severe head injuries.

Mr Potter is due to be buried in a funeral service at Herne Bay on Tuesday.

An inquest has been opened into his death and adjourned. A full inquest will be held in Canterbury on September 21.

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