The father of a teenager who died in the A66 Middlesbrough crash has been charged after allegedly assaulting a mourner at his own son’s funeral.
The service for 17-year-old Cole Worthy descended into disorder when his father, 39-year-old Gye Worthy, is said to have objected to remarks made during the ceremony.
He is accused of carrying out an assault on the mourner and then obstructing officers who attended the scene following reports of the disturbance.
Cleveland Police confirmed that Gye Worthy is due to appear in court next month.
In a statement, the force said: ‘The 39-year-old man arrested yesterday (Wednesday 9 September) at Teesside Crematorium, following a disturbance during a service, has now been charged with common assault, public order and obstructing police.
‘He is due to appear before Teesside Magistrates’ Court on October 2.’
A source close to the family said Cole Worthy’s mother, Natalie McConnell, was left “devastated and shocked” by the disruption at her son’s memorial.
Ms McConnell has been separated from Gye Worthy for some time, and both are now understood to have new partners.
Gye, 39, allegedly took exception to comments made during the service for his son Cole
Gye Worthy, from Acklam, Middlesbrough, works as an offshore deck foreman and is the boss of his own specialist lifting company, which operates on offshore platforms.
His semi-detached £200,000 home recently suffered serious damage in a criminal act currently under investigation by Cleveland Police.
Cole Worthy was killed within minutes of his father’s home being attacked, alongside four of his associates and two police officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37 and PC Tom Clough, 38.
They were all killed at 3.39am on Saturday, August 22 when the police armed response vehicle was struck at South Bank, near Middlesbrough, by a speeding VW Passat containing the five youths and young men aged between 17 and 23.
Worthy, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Cahill, 23, and Theo Rae, 17, were also killed in the smash.
Police said the five all had links to organised crime and had been trying to flee police when they drove the wrong way up the A66 into the police vehicle.
The incident was blamed on a tit-for-tat gangland turf war over the supply of drugs on Teesside.
PCs Clough and Blades died from severe head and neck injuries at the scene.
The final funeral of the five youths in the Passat was also taking place today in County Durham as family gathered to mark the death of Michael Cahill.
At an earlier vigil held in his honour, a number of cars – including an £80,000 Porsche – were driven at speed around a field at Haswell, near Peterlee, and set ablaze.
Cole Worthy (left) was killed within minutes of his father’s home being attacked
Sarah Moloney, a friend of Ms McConnell, thanked mourners for their attendance on her behalf.
In a social media post, she wrote: ‘To everyone who came today for our Coley, thank you from the very bottom of our hearts.
‘Seeing so many faces who loved him cared for him and held him close means more than we can ever put into words, your presence your hugs your kind words and every beautiful memory you shared.
‘Cole was so loved and today showed us just how far that love reached. Thank you for walking this hard day with us, thank you for loving him, for remembering him and for being here for us
‘He will live on in all our hearts forever. Rest peacefully our beautiful Coley, we love you more than anything.’
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