A66 CRASH TRAGEDY TAKES SHOCKING TURN AS FATHER IS CHARGED AFTER HIS SON’S FUNERAL

Gye Worthy, 39, was arrested during the funeral of his 17-year-old son Cole after police were called to a disturbance at Teesside Crematorium

A funeral held to remember a teenager killed in the devastating A66 crash took an unexpected turn when his father was arrested during the service.

Gye Worthy, 39, was arrested on Wednesday, September 9, after police were called to reports of a disturbance at Teesside Crematorium 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 THE FUNERAL

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

Officers quickly arrived at the scene and arrested a 39-year-old man on suspicion of assault.

The funeral service later resumed, while police remained in the area to provide reassurance to mourners.

Cleveland Police subsequently confirmed that the man arrested was Gye Worthy, Cole’s father.

According to reports, Worthy allegedly took exception to comments made during the service and is accused of assaulting another mourner. Those allegations have not been tested in court.

COLE’S FAMILY LEFT DEVASTATED

The disruption reportedly left Cole’s mother, Natalie McConnell, devastated and shocked.

A friend of McConnell later thanked those who attended the funeral and paid tribute to Cole, describing how deeply loved the teenager was.

“Cole was so loved,” the message said, as friends and family remembered the 17-year-old and the memories he had left behind.

For those gathered at the crematorium, the day was intended to be a final farewell to a teenager whose life had ended suddenly just weeks earlier.

Instead, the service became the scene of another police incident.

COLE WAS ONE OF SEVEN PEOPLE KILLED

Cole Worthy was one of five young men who died in the catastrophic A66 collision on August 22.

The five were travelling in a Volkswagen Passat that entered the A66 in the wrong direction before colliding with a marked Cleveland Police vehicle.

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

Two police officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, also died in the collision.

The crash has since triggered a major investigation and heightened tensions across Middlesbrough, with additional police officers deployed to the area following concerns about disorder surrounding some of the funerals.

A TRAGEDY THAT HAS SHOCKED MIDDLESBROUGH

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 honour the 37-year-old officer, who was remembered as a devoted father and respected member of the community.

The deaths of the five young men and two officers have left families on both sides grieving while investigators continue examining the events leading up to the fatal collision.

Police have previously said they were investigating possible links between some of those in the Passat and organised crime. However, there is no suggestion that Gye Worthy himself has links to organised crime.

FATHER DUE IN COURT

Gye Worthy now faces three charges arising from the disturbance at his son’s funeral: common assault, a public order offence and obstructing police.

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

The charges are allegations, and Worthy remains legally presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

For Cole’s family and friends, however, the focus remains on remembering a 17-year-old whose funeral was supposed to be a final goodbye — before an already heartbreaking day took another shocking turn.