The father of one of the A66 crash joyriders has admitted attacking a civil celebrant as he delivered the eulogy at his son's funeral. Gye Worthy, 40, leapt from his seat as the celebrant was addressing the congregation at the funeral of Cole Worthy, 17, who was killed in the gang-related tragedy which took the lives of two police officers in August.
Guilty Plea at Teesside Magistrates
Worthy has pleaded guilty to attacking the 46-year-old, dragging him by his clothes while issuing threats of violence and then resisting police officers called to arrest him. He appeared before Teesside magistrates in an unscheduled hearing on Saturday September 26 and admitted three charges.
He pleaded guilty to assaulting the celebrant, who the Mirror is not naming, by beating him on September 9 in St Bede's Chapel at Acklam Crematorium in Middlesbrough. Worthy further admitted using threatening abusive or insulting words and behaviour towards him intending to cause fear that unlawful violence might be used. And he also admitted resisting arrest minutes later when the police were called in by members of the crematorium team.
Family Reaction
A source close to the Worthy family said: "It was a shocking moment, even by Gye Worthy's low standards, it left the whole funeral in a state of shock. The problem seemed to be that the celebrant had not spoken Gye's name in his address soon enough for him."
"Other family members had been mentioned but he hadn't and he was furious and attacked the poor man leading the service. The worst thing about it is that he made a day that should have been about his son into a day that was all about him. It was appalling."
The celebrant was said to be "shocked and shaken" by Worthy's actions but was not seriously hurt in the incident. The celebrant, who conducts services regularly at Acklam Crematorium, did not wish to speak about his ordeal, saying: "It's not something I'd want to comment on."
Background to the A66 Crash
Worthy's case was adjourned until today - October 2 - but a sentencing date was identified for October 27th and pre-sentence reports were ordered. Cole Worthy's mother Natalie McConnell was distraught by the disruption to her son's memorial. Ms McConnell has long been separated from Gye Worthy and both now have new partners.
After the funeral service Sarah Moloney, a friend of Ms McConnell, thanked mourners for their attendance on her behalf. In a social media post she said: "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."
Gye Worthy, from Acklam, Middlesbrough, works as an offshore deck foreman. He is the boss of his own specialist lifting company which operates on offshore platforms but he found himself at the centre of events which led to the A66 crash. His semi detached £200,000 home was rammed less than an hour before the smash on the trunk road. A red Volvo car twice reversed into the front of the house, causing substantial structural damage which is still in the process of being repaired.
Within minutes of the incident, Cole Worthy and four associates were out hunting for the Volvo in a VW Passat, intent on revenge. Cole Worthy was killed within minutes of his father's home being attacked, alongside Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Cahill, 23, and Theo Rae, 17. Tragically PC Matthew Blades, 37 and PC Tom Clough, 38, also died in the incident at 3.39am on Saturday August 22nd when their police armed response vehicle was struck at South Bank, near Middlesbrough.
An interim report into the crash ruled out tactical contact with the Passat by police and use of a Stinger device to puncture its tyres. Emily Barry, director of engagement with the Independent Office for Police Conduct said: "We continue to recognise the devastating and long-lasting impact this incident has had on the families and those in the force, the policing community, and the wider local community. We are aware there is speculation regarding how the collision occurred. There is no suggestion the collision was a result of any direct police contact, nor was a stinger used by the police in an attempt to stop the Passat."
Cleveland Police said the five in the Passat 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, an inquest opening in Middlesbrough was told.
