DAD FACES JAIL AFTER SON’S A66 FUNERAL DESCENDS INTO CHAOS OVER EULOGY ROW

The father of a 17-year-old who died in the devastating A66 crash is facing jail after a dispute at his son’s funeral allegedly turned into a confrontation with the celebrant.

Gye Worthy, 40, is due to be sentenced after an incident at Teesside Crematorium during the funeral service for his son, Cole Worthy.

According to reports, the ceremony descended into chaos after Worthy became angry that celebrant Paul Maull did not mention him in the eulogy for Cole, while referring to the teenager’s stepfather.

A FUNERAL THAT TURNED INTO A DISTURBANCE

Worthy allegedly hurled insults at Maull before attacking him as mourners looked on.

Police were called to the crematorium to deal with the disturbance.

The father was also accused of becoming involved in a confrontation with officers who arrived at the scene.

Cleveland Police previously confirmed that a 39-year-old man arrested at Teesside Crematorium on September 9 had been charged with common assault, a public-order offence and obstructing police.

He is now due to face sentencing at Teesside Magistrates’ Court.

COLE WAS ONE OF SEVEN PEOPLE KILLED IN THE A66 CRASH

The funeral came only weeks after Cole Worthy died in one of the UK’s most serious recent road tragedies.

Cole, 17, was one of five young men travelling in a Volkswagen Passat when it collided with a marked police vehicle on the A66.

The crash also claimed the lives of PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38.

All five occupants of the Passat died.

Police have said the group had links to organised crime, although there is no suggestion that Gye Worthy himself is linked to organised crime.

COLE’S MOTHER WAS LEFT “DEVASTATED”

The disruption at the funeral reportedly caused further distress for Cole’s mother, Natalie McConnell.

A source close to the family said she was “devastated and shocked” by what happened during a ceremony that was intended to remember her son.

The funeral was already taking place under extraordinary circumstances, following the deaths of Cole and his four friends in the A66 collision.

THE FAMILY HAD ALREADY FACED ANOTHER SHOCK

Worthy’s own home in Acklam, Middlesbrough, had been rammed by a vehicle on August 22, shortly before the fatal crash.

The incident was reported as part of an escalating conflict involving rival groups in the area.

Police later investigated links between the wider violence and the events surrounding the A66 crash.

However, investigators have not suggested that Worthy’s alleged conduct at his son’s funeral was connected to organised crime.

A TRAGEDY THAT HAS LEFT MULTIPLE FAMILIES GRIEVING

The A66 crash has left seven families mourning.

Two police officers lost their lives while responding to the incident, while five young men travelling in the Passat also died.

Cole’s funeral was supposed to provide an opportunity for family and friends to say goodbye.

Instead, the ceremony became another police incident.

Now, as Gye Worthy faces sentencing, the tragedy surrounding Cole’s death continues to generate new legal proceedings — adding another painful chapter to a case that has already devastated families across Teesside.