A mother has told of her agony since her partner's death on the set of the latest Batman movie and has questioned the wisdom of the stunt which took his life.

Dee Chase, 39, of Lynhurst Crescent, Hillingdon, heard a jury return a verdict of accidental death at an inquest into the death of partner of 22 years, Conway Wickliffe.

The special effects technician was killed when the car from which he was filming crashed into a tree during a test run for a scene in Batman: The Dark Knight on September 24 last year.

Ms Chase, who has two children, Vyners School pupil, Sabian, 13, and Eden, five, with Mr Wickliffe, said: "He was such a creative. He had some great ideas.

"Conway was very loving. He always had a smile on his face."

Woking Coroner's Court heard the car Mr Wickliffe was filming from in Chobham Road, Chertsey, was travelling at 32 rather than 22 miles an hour.

Ms Chase said: "When I first looked at the site I didn't think it was fit for purpose but then I'm not an expert. It was just unfortunate that Conway was trying to do his job and doing it to his fullest capability."

The childhood sweethearts met in their native New Zealand before moving to Hillingdon eight years ago. Last August they had planned to marry in Las Vegas.

She said: "We had a cremation for him in New Zealand which is not usual for Maoris. It was breaking with tradition but I wasn't going to come back without him. The idea was to come here and make a life for ourselves and then return as a family."

The grieving partner told the Gazette of the pride she felt taking her son to the premiere of the Batman film.

"It was really emotional. The kids have kept me going. My little girl is of an age of innocence but my son is a really quiet soul. I think he tries to protect me."

Ms Chase is now waiting for the decision of a Health and Safety inspector on whether to prosecute the company behind the production

She added: "Both of us have a very positive outlook on life. You have to get up and dust yourself off.

"It's heart breaking and I definitely have my moments. We talk to him all the time. He's a very strong spirit."