The Government has urged TikTok to remove wrong-way driving videos after two police officers were killed in a crash on the A66, with court records showing one of the men involved was awaiting trial over alleged offences against police officers.
Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, died when a Volkswagen Passat – which had been pursued by police – was driven the wrong way along a dual carriageway and hit their marked armed response vehicle in Teesside early on Saturday.
Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak were also pronounced dead at the scene.
Court records and TikTok reports
Court records show that Saddington was accused of assaulting a police officer and of causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to another Chowdhury in Middlesbrough on June 9. He had appeared before Teesside Magistrates’ Court on July 17 charged with the offences and was awaiting trial.
It has also been reported that Saddington was involved in filming dangerous driving in TikTok videos before the fatal crash took place.
Government response
Defence minister Luke Pollard said social media platforms should act to remove posts of that nature. He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We’ve communicated to those social media platforms that have been hosting content that celebrates this type of dangerous behaviour on our roads to take down that content.
“I think we all need to give the police time, but there’s also things we can be doing in the meantime to make sure that the internet is a safer place for everyone, that doesn’t celebrate and load views and therefore financial incentives on people to generate such awful content.”
He added: “I want to see social media companies step up. It’s one of the reasons they’ve argued against some of the regulations, saying they can police themselves. Well this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate it. Remove the content that celebrates dangerous behaviour on our roads.
“While that content is online, the Government will be using the powers in the Online Safety Act to compel the platforms to take it down. But if the social media platforms were to regulate themselves and remove it in the first place, not allow their algorithm to share this type of content, because they know exactly what type of content that algorithm is designed to share, then I think we’d be in a better place.”
Police commissioner and tributes
Cleveland police and crime commissioner Matt Storey acknowledged the reports about the TikTok videos, but urged people to avoid speculation. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Without being able to say whether that was anything like involved in this case, it’s absolutely idiotic for anybody to be doing anything other than being completely 100% focused on the road when they’re behind the wheel of a vehicle.
“And for somebody to be filming themselves or doing anything like that is absolutely ridiculous, and of course nobody should be doing that. And it is a worrying situation if that’s becoming more prevalent because it is incredibly dangerous.”
A fundraiser created by the Cleveland Police Federation for the families of the officers had reached more than £250,000 on Monday morning.
Cleveland Police launched the chase after receiving intelligence relating to “numerous incidents” linked to a Passat, which activated an ANPR camera and is believed to have been using cloned plates, investigating watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct said. Pc Blades and Pc Clough were not involved in the original pursuit, but had been called to the area to assist with the search for the Passat.
Family members described former Civil Nuclear Constabulary officer Pc Clough as “our hero” who was “always on public duty”. The father-of-two’s family called him “our superhero” and said: “He gave his life in the line of duty, protecting and serving others with courage, dedication and selflessness.”
In a statement issued by Cleveland Police, Pc Blades’ wife called him “my beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys”. She said he was “an adored son and brother, a perfect son-in-law, and the most fun uncle”.
“He was loved beyond words by all his family and friends, and his loss has left a space that can never be filled,” she said. “Our children will grow up knowing what an incredible father he was and will always be, and I will carry his love, his memory and everything we shared with me always.” She added: “Forever loved. Forever missed. Forever our superhero. Our Matt and Dad.”
Tributes for the five young men were also shared on social media, with many of their friends saying they “can’t believe it” and were “heartbroken” and “lost for words”. One message, dedicated to all five, said: “We all knew use and knew use had hearts of gold and most loyalist lads.”
The Passat they were travelling in was spotted and an armed response vehicle pursued for just under seven minutes before the car drove on to the A66 in South Bank against the flow of traffic. Police aborted the chase and continued to travel on the correct side of the carriageway. The Passat crashed into Pc Blades and Pc Clough’s vehicle around 10 seconds after the chase ended.
