A DAD says he is sick of insinuations his son might have murdered a man found dead under the drum of their cement mixer.

David Bromley, 65, spoke out to defend son Simon, 42, after it was revealed police had carried out a six-month undercover investigation into him.

The probe looked at Simon in connection with the death of Lee Balkwell, at Baldwin’s Farm, Dennises Lane, South Ockendon, in July 2002.

Speaking on behalf of his son, he said it was just a “terrible accident”.

Lee’s dad Les Balkwell, 65, held a press conference on Monday in response to a damning Independent Police Complaints Commission report which found the initial Essex Police investigation into Lee’s death was “seriously flawed from the outset”.

Mr Balkwell claimed there were still too many unanswered questions over his son’s death.

The IPCC report detailed how police launched a covert operation into Simon Bromley’s actions in 2005.

It began after police received intelligence of a possible motive for Simon Bromley killing Lee over what Mr Balkwell described as a “domestic issue”.

Simon Bromley was at no point arrested or charged over the death – and in July 2005 police ruled out the intelligence as inaccurate.

But David Bromley, who lives at Baldwin’s Farm, said the IPCC report findings were still a slur on his family.

He said: “We were never asked about a motive, because there is no motive. This was a terrible, tragic accident.”

He added: “Lee was like one of the family. He was a great loss. Simon felt terribly guilty. It made him ill. He would cry his eyes out about it. He said he wished it had been him and not Lee who died.”

Mr Bromley said of the police investigation still under way: “We will keep telling the truth. It was an accident.”

Lee was working for Simon Bromley’s business, Upminster Concrete, when the incident happened.