'His loss was felt across the country': Grieving family pays tribute to “perfect” army veteran who died in tragic motorcycle accident

Stephen Mullis, from Gosport, has been described as a “well respected” and cherished family man who spent his life not only protecting his loved ones, but serving his country.

The 37-year-old, who was part of The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment, tied the knot to his partner of six years, Chloe, at the Wickham Estate in August 2024.

Chloe said: “Steve was a deeply loved husband, father, brother and son. He was a big character who lit up every room he walked into. He was kind, caring and fiercely protective of those he loved.

“He was well known for his great sense of humour and his loyalty to friends and family. He was an honourable and well-respected man, often described as the glue that held friendship groups together.

“He had a passion for motorcycles. In his spare time, he was always out in the garage polishing them - he was a sports bike fan through and through. He was very much into fitness as well and loved to push himself.

“The loss of Steve has left an immeasurable gap in our lives. He will always be remembered for the warmth he brought into a room and the way he made people feel valued, safe and supported. He was, and always will be, profoundly loved.”

Steve served in the army for 14 years, during which time he rose to sergeant and completed two tours of Afghanistan, a tour of Iraq and Northern Ireland. In a fitting tribute, the Royal British Legion Riders Branch attended his funeral and rode motorcycles in solidarity to honour Steve’s passion.

Lois Mullis, Steve’s mum, said: “Over 200 people came to his funeral. His loss was felt across the country.”

Karen Wooden, Steve’s mother in law, added: “He was genuinely the loveliest person and they found each other. They had the most gorgeous wedding and a perfect honeymoon and had just found their perfect home.”

An inquest at Portsmouth Coroners Court on Thursday heard that Steve’s new Harley Davidson hit a tree on March 30, 2025 in Fort Road, Gosport, after its side stand dropped from its correct position.

As a result, the stand started scraping on the tarmac, creating 14-metre scuffs along the road, causing Steve to lose control of the vehicle before leaving the road and mounting the kerb.

Area coroner for Hampshire, Jason Pegg, noted that a toxicology report revealed there was no alcohol or drugs in Steve’s system.

He said: “It is quite evident to me that he was a very loved man - a loved son, a loved husband, a loved brother and a loved father. He was someone who guided his daughter in a way that allowed her to develop as a young lady. He had a passion for motorcycles and was very experienced in them - he held his licence since 2011.”

Chloe told the court: “He was perfectly fine. We had just moved house four months before and we had just got married so we were newlyweds - he was making jokes because I had drunk a bit too much the night before but he came up and made me breakfast in bed and he was happy as Larry. We planned to see our families to give our mums Mother’s Day presents.”

After finishing painting in his new home that morning, Steve visited his mum. She said: “He was perfect. He was so funny. He would walk into our house and go straight to the fridge - I was the last person to see him. When he left he was really happy about the future. I waved him goodbye and he looked back at me as he left.”

In a witness statement Karol Lisicki recalled seeing Steve driving home in a “safe and controlled manner”, and he vividly remembers acknowledging that the way he was riding was how motorcyclists “should” behave on the road.

He said: “I am a dad as well and that day was already hard as my daughter was with her mum. Seeing the motorcycle was a highlight of my day, seeing something so beautiful. When you have a love for motorcycles like that, it fills you with joy but what I saw afterwards was something I never want to go through again.

“I ran over to him as quickly as I could. I held his hand throughout it all because I knew I couldn’t do much. We did everything we could.”

Several people rushed to Steve’s aid with emergency services also responding to the crash, which occurred just after 2pm. He sadly died at the scene.

Mr Pegg, who recorded Steve’s cause of death as a road traffic accident, said: “The side stand did make contact with the road surface, which is quite clear from the forensic evidence at the scene.

“The side stand had come down - it should not have been down and how it became so, is unclear - there is no evidence as to why that happened. When that scraping occurred, the motorcycle was still in an upright position and Steve had been in control of the bike. It seems that the movement to the left was an attempt to try and return it to its correct position.”