A FATHER’S GRIEF TURNS INTO CHAOS AT HIS SON’S FUNERAL — DAD FACES SENTENCING AFTER ALLEGED ASSAULT

A grieving father is facing sentencing after his son’s funeral reportedly descended into chaos, with police called to the crematorium following an alleged confrontation.

Gye Worthy, 40, was attending the funeral of his 17-year-old son, Cole Worthy, when an incident unfolded at Teesside Crematorium in Middlesbrough.

Worthy has been charged with common assault, a public-order offence and obstructing police following the disturbance. He is due to be sentenced at Teesside Magistrates’ Court.

A FUNERAL SERVICE INTERRUPTED

Cole’s funeral took place on September 9, several weeks after the teenager died in the devastating A66 crash.

According to reports, tensions erupted during the service after comments made during the eulogy.

The Sun reported that Worthy became angry after celebrant Paul Maull referred to Cole’s stepfather but did not mention him.

Worthy allegedly confronted Maull and assaulted him in front of mourners.

When police arrived at the crematorium, Worthy was also accused of obstructing officers.

Cleveland Police confirmed that officers were called at around 12:30 p.m. following reports of a disturbance during the service. A 39-year-old man was arrested and the funeral later resumed, with officers remaining nearby to provide reassurance.

A MOTHER LEFT “DEVASTATED AND SHOCKED”

The disruption added another painful moment to an already heartbreaking day.

A source close to Cole’s family told reporters that his mother, Natalie McConnell, was left “devastated and shocked” by what happened during her son’s funeral.

The ceremony was intended to give relatives and friends an opportunity to say goodbye to the 17-year-old.

Instead, police were called while mourners were gathered inside the crematorium.

COLE WAS ONE OF SEVEN PEOPLE KILLED

Cole was one of five young people who died in the A66 collision on August 22, 2026.

The Volkswagen Passat carrying the group collided head-on with a marked police vehicle on the road near Middlesbrough.

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

The two police officers travelling in the other vehicle, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, also died.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has previously said the officers were travelling in the area after the Passat’s cloned registration plates had triggered a camera. The officers were not involved in the earlier pursuit, according to the watchdog’s account.

THE TRAGEDY HAD ALREADY SHAKEN THE COMMUNITY

The A66 crash triggered several investigations and left multiple families mourning.

Police previously said some of the young men in the Passat may have had links to organised crime.

However, there is no suggestion that Gye Worthy himself is linked to organised crime.

Before the crash, a property linked to the Worthy family in Acklam had also been seriously damaged after being rammed by a vehicle. Police were investigating that incident separately.

TWO FUNERALS ON THE SAME DAY

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

The two men had died in the same collision but were being mourned separately by their respective families and communities.

The circumstances surrounding the crash had already generated intense public attention, making the disruption at Cole’s funeral another difficult moment for those affected.

NOW A NEW LEGAL CHAPTER

For the Worthy family, the loss of Cole remains at the centre of the tragedy.

But the events at his funeral have now created a separate legal case.

Gye Worthy faces sentencing after being charged following the disturbance at the crematorium.

The incident reportedly began during a moment intended to honour a teenager whose life ended at just 17 years old.

For Cole’s family and the mourners who gathered to remember him, what should have been a final farewell instead became another deeply distressing day.

And as the legal proceedings continue, the A66 tragedy continues to leave new consequences for the families caught in its aftermath.