Two security guards have been found guilty of kidnapping a festival-goer who died after being ejected from Brownstock Festival.

Paul Wickerson, 32, died after attending the festival, in Stow Maries, in August 2013.

He died of multiple injuries after being hit by up to four cars after he was kidnapped by bouncers Gregory Maxwell and Brian Atkins following an altercation and dumped miles from the site in Lower Burnham Road.

At Chelmsford Crown Court, Maxwell, 33, of Romford, and Atkins, 49, of Ilford, denied charges of false imprisonment and kidnap.

On Tuesday, both men were acquitted of false imprisonment on the direction of judge Karen Walden-Smith.

Today, they were found guilty of kidnapping Mr Wickerson, before they dumped him in a busy road, where he was later killed after colliding with a car.

The court heard that Mr Wickerson was left in a confused and disorientated state at the roadside. He had been handcuffed and removed from the festival site after organisers became concerned about his behaviour.

He was said to have been drinking and had taken a small quantity of cocaine and ketamine. Friends had looked after him when he became unwell at about 8pm but they lost contact with him at about 10pm.

At about 10.22pm, Maxwell and Atkins, found Mr Wickerson wandering the site. They restrained him with handcuffs, put him into a Land Rover Discovery and drove him two miles from the festival site and left him in the area of Lower Burnham Road.

Andrew Jackson, prosecuting, said that during the brief journey, Atkins was heard to say that they were taking Mr Wickerson, a geologist who lived in Australia, for a "four-mile bush tucker trial”.

Det Chief Insp Simon Werrett, who led the investigation, said after the trial: "People who attend festivals expect those responsible for the security to provide them with a safe environment to enjoy themselves.

"They do not expect them to manhandle them, to handcuff them and then dump them on a dangerous road. Mr Wickerson's death should not have happened.

"This verdict will send the clear message to those involved in the security for music festivals that you will be held to account for your actions.

"This has been a difficult investigation for Essex Police and I would pay tribute to my investigation team for their hard work in achieving this verdict.”

Mr Wickerson’s parents, who live in Surrey, said he had returned to UK to visit them and to attend festivals with former college friends. The couple declined to comment or talk to the media about the trial but paid tribute to Paul, his passion for life and his academic achievements.

Mrs Maureen Wickerson said: "Paul graduated with a geology Honours degree from Edinburgh University before completing a Masters at Imperial College, London. He then joined a petroleum company in Norway and was involved in oil exploration.

"In 2012 he moved to Sydney to work as a development geologist and he was later joined by his girlfriend Sarah who moved from London to be with him.

"Paul's charismatic nature coupled with his very engaging and adventurous personality made him many close friends around the world, many of whom were among the 200 people who joined family members at his funeral.

"His passion in life was the peace and absolute freedom of the mountains, snowboarding, and all that was related to his favourite pastime.”

A Ski4Cancer donation page was set up in tribute to Paul at http://www.ski4cancer.org/paul-james-wickerson-fund

Maxwell and Atkins will be sentenced tomorrow morning.