FATHER CHARGED AFTER DISTURBANCE AT SON’S FUNERAL FOLLOWING A66 CRASH

Gye Worthy, 39, was arrested during the funeral service for his 17-year-old son Cole Worthy, one of seven people killed in the devastating A66 collision

A funeral meant to be a day of mourning took an unexpected turn when the father of a teenager killed in the A66 crash was arrested during his own son’s service.

Gye Worthy, 39, was arrested on Wednesday, September 9, after police were called to reports of a disturbance at Teesside Crematorium in Middlesbrough during the funeral of his 17-year-old son, Cole Worthy.

Cleveland Police have since confirmed that Worthy has been charged with common assault, a public order offence and obstructing police.

He is due to appear before Teesside Magistrates’ Court on October 2.

DISTURBANCE INTERRUPTS COLE’S FUNERAL

Police were called to the crematorium at around 12:30 p.m. after reports of a disturbance during the service.

Officers attended the scene and arrested a 39-year-old man. The funeral service was later able to resume, while police remained nearby to provide reassurance to mourners.

Cleveland Police later confirmed that the man arrested during the service was Gye Worthy.

The force said he had been charged following the incident and would appear in court next month.

Reports have alleged that Worthy became involved in a confrontation with another mourner. However, the allegations have not been tested in court, and he remains legally presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

COLE WAS ONE OF SEVEN PEOPLE KILLED

Cole Worthy was one of five young men travelling in a Volkswagen Passat that entered the A66 in the wrong direction in the early hours of August 22.

The vehicle collided head-on with a marked Cleveland Police vehicle.

Cole, 17, died alongside Theo Rae, 17; Makai Saddington, 18; Michael Robert Cahill, 23; and Jakub Matusiak, 23.

The collision also claimed the lives of two police officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38.

The tragedy has since triggered a major police operation across the Middlesbrough area, with heightened tensions and concerns about possible links to serious organised crime.

Importantly, there has been no suggestion that Gye Worthy himself was involved in organised crime.

A FUNERAL SHARED WITH A FALLEN POLICE OFFICER

Cole’s funeral took place on the same day as the funeral of PC Matthew Blades in Hartlepool.

Hundreds of police officers and members of the public gathered to pay tribute to Blades, while standard bearers from police forces across the UK attended his service.

The two funerals came just weeks after the crash that connected the families of the five young men and the two officers in one of the region’s most devastating recent tragedies.

QUESTIONS AROUND THE NIGHT OF THE CRASH

The circumstances surrounding the A66 collision remain under investigation.

According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the police vehicle carrying PC Blades and PC Clough was not the vehicle involved in the pursuit that occurred shortly before the crash.

The officers were travelling in a vehicle searching for the Passat after its cloned registration plates triggered a camera when the two vehicles collided.

A property linked to the Worthy family had also been rammed in Acklam before the fatal collision, adding another layer to the wider investigation surrounding the events of that night.

COURT HEARING AHEAD

For Cole’s family and friends, the funeral was supposed to be a final opportunity to say goodbye to a teenager whose life ended at just 17.

Instead, the service was disrupted by an incident that resulted in his father being arrested and subsequently charged.

Gye Worthy is scheduled to appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on October 2.

The charges against him are allegations only and have not been proven in court.