THE only sound was the hum of motorbikes as 150 bikers gathered for a minute's silence to remember a fellow motorcyclist.

Bikers from the Thames Valley branch of the Motorcycle Action Group made their annual journey to Broad Street, Oxford, to lay flowers in memory of former member Fred Hill.

The maths teacher from Hayes, in Middlesex, died aged 74 in Pentonville Prison in 1984, serving his 31st sentence for not wearing a motorcycle helmet.

Instead, Mr Hill preferred to wear a beret, believing that the law was restrictive of his human rights.

Bikers remembered his ideals and many of the motorcyclists removed their helmets as they rode into the city.