‘Dad won’t stop’… Harrowing final moments of disabled Callum Rycroft, 12, killed crossing M62 as dad admits killing him
Harrowing details of the final moments of a disabled 12-year-old boy have come to light as his father admits responsibility for his death after being struck by a car on the M62.[1]
Leeds schoolboy Callum Rycroft was killed on August 5 when he and his father, Matthew Rycroft, who had been drinking, attempted to cross the motorway following a crash.
Matthew Rycroft, 36, today pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his son, and dangerous driving between Paddock, Huddersfield[2], and Hartshead service station on the M62. He also admitted failing to provide a specimen.
Rycroft appeared before a judge at Leeds Crown Court where he admitted the unlawful killing or his son. He will be sentenced at a later date and will remain in custody.
Rycroft had visited his parents in Huddersfield with his son Callum and had been drinking throughout the day, the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement. His parents urged him not to drive and offered him a place to stay overnight, but Rycroft refused and drove away, the CPS added.
Rycroft’s parents called him and urged him to stop driving, but he paid no heed. Callum, from Harehills in Leeds, was heard in the background saying ‘Dad… won’t stop.’
(Image: West Yorkshire Police)
They also tried to follow him, but Rycroft ignored them, and his Audi Q5 was seen driving erratically in Huddersfield, before joining the M62 at junction 25. Witnesses reported seeing Rycroft swerving across lanes on the motorway before colliding with a crash barrier.
Rycroft then managed to exit the motorway at Hartshead services, where he failed to negotiate a sharp bend on the slip road, before hitting the kerb and overturning the car.
Rycroft and Callum then began to walk toward the main carriageway. Callum called his mother, and dialled 999, but Rycroft told him to end the call.
They were seen to cross the motorway to the central reservation, and then for an unknown reason tried to run back.
Callum was struck by an oncoming vehicle and died instantly. The Crown Prosecution Service said that due to Callum’s disability he had no awareness of speed and “should have been under his father’s protection”.
Tom Neofytou from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This is an absolutely tragic incident involving the death of a 12-year-old boy. His father’s insistence on driving whilst under the influence of alcohol is beyond comprehension. Rycroft continued to drive despite his parents’ best efforts to stop him.
“His decision to leave the scene of the crash and attempt to cross the motorway while responsible for a young boy was reckless folly. Callum paid the ultimate price for his father’s careless and criminal actions, and the rest of his family are left to mourn his loss. Our deepest sympathies remain with them.”
Last month Callum’s mum called him a ‘beautiful’ and ‘bright’ boy.
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References
- ^ struck by a car on the M62. (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ Huddersfield (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ Police update on Jack Rooke investigation as funeral fund nears £3,000 for Huddersfield boy (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
- ^ here (www.examinerlive.co.uk)