An uncle of one of the A66 joyriding crash gang victims was jailed for driving on the wrong side of the same road during a 100mph police chase, it has emerged.
Aaron Saddington, 23, was jailed for 20 months in June after crashing into oncoming vehicles on the dual carriageway near Middlesbrough.
His cousin Makai Saddington, 18, was one of seven people killed in the collision on the A66 last Saturday, along with four of his friends and two police officers.
Aaron was jailed after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and without insurance, according to court documents reported by the sun.
The crash on the A66 in the early hours of Saturday left two police officers dead, as well as all five occupants of a stolen VW Passat, including 17-year-old Cole Worthy.
The Daily Mail revealed how the chase was allegedly sparked by a rival gang, who rammed a Volvo XC60 into Cole’s father’s house at 3am on Saturday – just 40 minutes before the devastating crash.
It is understood Gye Worthy’s house was rammed twice by the Volvo, which deliberately reversed into the windscreen causing extensive damage.
Within minutes the VW Passat, with his son Cole and four friends in it, was racing through the streets of Middlesbrough in search of the Volvo.
Aaron Saddington, 23, was jailed for 20 months in June after crashing into oncoming traffic on the dual carriageway near Middlesbrough
Makai Saddington, one of the five killed in the VW, posted videos on TikTok of himself being chased by police and awaiting trial for racially abusing and assaulting officers
The Passat was later spotted by a police patrol, resulting in the crash that killed PC Tom Clough, 38, and 37-year-old PC Matthew Blades.
The five occupants of the stolen car – Worthy, Makai Saddington, 18, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, and Michael Cahill, 23 – were also killed.
The Mail understands that the occupants of the Volvo and Passat belonged to rival gangs operating as part of an organized criminal network in Teesside.
There is no evidence that Cole’s father Gye, 39, was involved in any criminal activity.
However, the attack on his home appears to be the flashpoint that led to the fatal crash.
Cleveland police yesterday confirmed arrests including a 16-year-old boy and four men aged 18, 21, 23 and 55 – bringing the total number of arrests to 17.
The five people arrested on Tuesday were:
- A 16-year-old boy on suspicion of participating in an organized crime group;
- An 18-year-old man on suspicion of participating in an organized crime group;
- A 21-year-old man on suspicion of participating in an organized crime group;
- A 55-year-old man on suspicion of assisting an perpetrator;
- A 23-year-old man is suspected of threatening to kill.
Among the 12 people previously arrested, four were held on suspicion of participating in an organized crime group and four on suspicion of possessing a firearm.
Four of the suspects are also charged with possession of class A and B drugs with intent to supply.
PC Matthew Blades, father-of-two, was killed when his police vehicle was hit head-on by a VW Passat traveling the wrong way on the A66 near Middlesbrough
PC Tom Clough was also killed in the crash, which happened about ten seconds after the police chase of the Volkswagen was called off
Cleveland police said two of the 12 previously arrested have now appeared in court.
Kai Beattie, 19, of Foxrush Court, Redcar, appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, police said.
Cameron George, 26, of Micklow Close, Redcar, was remanded in custody to appear at Teesside Crown Court on September 21, charged with drug offenses and possession of criminal property, the report said.
The chain of events that led to the deaths of the two officers and the car’s five occupants began in the affluent Middlesbrough suburb of Acklam, on a usually quiet street lined with post-war semis.
A neighbor said: ‘The huge bang woke everyone up and then there was a second.
‘What happened happened quickly because by the time my husband looked out the window the car was gone but there was very extensive damage to the house.’
A neighbor of the Worthys said Cole’s father had lived at the address for about 10 years and had led “a normal life.” He is listed at Companies House as a director of a private limited company called Worthylift Ltd, which was incorporated in July this year.
A source told the Mail: ‘After the attack on his father’s house, Cole Worthy and his mates were in the VW Passat looking for whoever did it.
Cole Worthy (right) with his friend Theo Rae, who also died in the crash on Saturday
Jacob Matusiak, another occupant of the car that struck the officers’ patrol vehicle, also posted videos of himself driving recklessly
Michael Robert Cahill was also in the VW. He was the only one of the five who had no previous convictions
‘A number of houses have been rammed in Middlesbrough in recent months and it is all part of a feud between rival criminal groups.
“It’s one thing when they fight among themselves, but when innocent lives like those of two police officers are lost, that’s another thing altogether.”
Cleveland Police have confirmed that both the Volvo and VW Passat were part of their investigation in the early hours of August 22.
Mr Worthy’s house was rammed at around 3am. At 3.36am the VW Passat was caught on CCTV racing along Lime Road in Teesville at speeds between 80 and 100mph, pursued by three police vehicles.
At 3.39am the car went the wrong way onto the A66 dual carriageway, where the pursuing police vehicles stopped.
Just ten seconds later it crashed head-on into the armed response vehicle carrying PCs Clough and Blades.
A Cleveland Police spokesman said: ‘On the morning of Saturday 22 August, Cleveland Police received several reports of two vehicles driving dangerously.
‘The first vehicle, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was rammed in the Middlesbrough area.
‘Both vehicles were driving with cloned number plates to avoid detection, but were picked up by the police’s automated number plate recognition technology.
‘The Volvo XC60 involved in the initial reports was traced and recovered in Middlesbrough as part of the criminal investigation.
‘Over the weekend, Cleveland Police, supported by officers and staff from Durham, Northumbria and North Yorkshire Police, worked tirelessly to establish the circumstances leading to the fatal collision.
“Those investigations have resulted in the arrest of twelve people across Teesside.”
Earlier this week, youths in balaclavas sparked anger after setting off flares and fireworks in a noisy tribute to the five dead youths.
Friends and family of Jakub Matusiak, 23, gathered on a field in South Bank, just meters from the scene of Saturday’s catastrophic collision.
What started as a balloon release turned into a confusion of smoke and noise as attendees lit up the sky with flares and rockets.
A gang of about 20 masked youths on motorcycles and quad bikes roared across the field in honor of Mr Matusiak, who had himself been convicted of traffic offences.
Footage showed dozens of flares being held aloft, filling the field with dense orange fog, as the bikes revved their engines and honked their horns.
The scenes sparked anger, with onlookers accusing the crowd of showing ‘disrespect of the highest order’.
The chaos was in stark contrast to a silent prayer vigil held at a nearby church in honor of PC Clough and PC Blades.
Paul Williams, deputy national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, told BBC Breakfast: ‘Every day we can now identify countless examples of young people sensationalizing dangerous driving.
‘Not only dangerous driving, but also challenging police officers who are there to protect the public.
‘It’s a real problem. It worries officers. They wouldn’t have to go out and worry about whether or not they’ll return home from their shift.
“But on top of that, I wonder if they’ll be all over social media.
“It is absolutely unacceptable and social media platforms must take action.”
Today it was announced that the Government would ‘take action’ to stop the trend of videos of dangerous driving being posted online.
Speaking to Channel 5 News, the Prime Minister was asked if there was anything the Government could do to tackle the ‘growing problem online of police being goaded and provoked’.
Andy Burnham said: ‘There is always something we can do and the glorification of dangerous driving is a horrible trend that needs to be tackled and that means everyone doing their bit to stop it, including the tech companies.’
Asked whether he would ask tech companies to remove such content, he added: “I’m waiting for a full investigation into what happened this weekend, but people can rest assured that we will take action on any issues that emerge.”
