Dad of A66 Crash Teen Charged After Son's Funeral Erupts in Chaos and Police Are Called

The father of a teenager killed in the horrific A66 crash has been charged after a disturbance at his son's funeral led to police being called to a crematorium in Middlesbrough.

Gye Worthy, 39, was arrested following an incident during the funeral service for his 17-year-old son, Cole Worthy, at Teesside Crematorium on Wednesday.

Cleveland Police later confirmed that Worthy had been charged with common assault, a public order offence and obstructing police.

According to the BBC, he is due to appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court on October 2.

Police Called During Funeral Service

The funeral was disrupted after officers were called to Teesside Crematorium at around 12.30 pm following reports of a disturbance during the service.

The BBC reported that police attended quickly and that the funeral was able to continue shortly afterwards. The force had already deployed additional officers in Middlesbrough following heightened tensions after the A66 crash and a series of related incidents in the town.

Worthy was initially arrested on suspicion of assault before the charges were confirmed. The Sun reported that the incident allegedly followed comments made during the funeral which Worthy took exception to.

The newspaper said he was accused of assaulting another mourner and obstructing officers who responded to the disturbance.

Cole Worthy Was One of Seven Killed

Cole was one of five young men who died when the Volkswagen Passat they were travelling in collided head-on with a marked police vehicle on the A66 in the early hours of 22 August.

The crash also killed two armed response officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38. The other young men killed in the Passat were Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and Theo Rae, 17.

The Independent reported that the Passat had been travelling in the wrong direction on the A66 when it collided with the police car.

The deaths have since triggered a major police operation in Middlesbrough, with officers investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash and dealing with tensions surrounding the funerals and related events.

Funeral Took Place Amid Heightened Tensions

Cole's funeral came during a particularly tense period for the town. Police had previously provided additional resources around funerals linked to the crash amid concerns about further disorder.

The funeral for PC Blades was held in Hartlepool on the same day as Cole's service. Hundreds of police officers and members of the public attended the officer's funeral, while a large police presence was also maintained around Middlesbrough.

The Independent reported that a property in Acklam linked to the Worthy family had also been rammed and extensively damaged shortly before the fatal crash.

Police have previously said they were investigating whether the young men in the Passat had links to organised crime.

Father Due in Court

Worthy is due to appear before Teesside Magistrates' Court on 2 October. The charges relate to the disturbance at his son's funeral and do not mean he has been convicted of any offence.

The case comes as Cleveland Police continues its wider response to the aftermath of the A66 collision, which killed seven people and has brought significant scrutiny to Middlesbrough.

The deaths of the five young men and two police officers have left families and the local community grieving, while the circumstances surrounding the crash and events that followed continue to be investigated.