Teen joyrider killed in A66 police car crash was awaiting trial for racially abusing and assaulting officers it’s revealed as grieving widow of cop who died in carnage says ‘the pain of losing him is beyond words’
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Two Cleveland Police officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a VW Passat carrying five young men fleeing police drove the wrong way down the A66 dual carriageway near Middlesbrough and crashed head-on into their vehicle in the early hours of Saturday. All five men in the car also died, including 18-year-old Makai Saddington, who it has since emerged was awaiting trial on charges of racially abusing and assaulting Cleveland Police officers and had reportedly posted videos of himself in previous police chases, adding a troubling dimension to the so-called "TikTok joyriders" case.
The other men who died were named as Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17; the police pursuit had reportedly been called off around ten seconds before the crash. Saddington had faced charges of assaulting Sergeant Rooker and causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to PC Chowdhury, with his case adjourned after a first hearing at Teesside magistrates on 17 July. The families of both officers paid emotional tributes, with PC Blades' widow describing him as a devoted father whose loss left "a pain beyond words", while PC Clough's family remembered him as "our hero with a fantastic sense of humour". A GoFundMe appeal by Cleveland Police Federation had raised more than £245,000 by the Monday after the crash.
- Two officers killed as fleeing joyriders crashed wrong-way on A66
- All five men in the car also died in collision
- Dead teen was awaiting trial for assaulting, racially abusing officers
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Makai Saddington, 18, was one of five young men killed on Saturday when the VW Passat they were travelling in went the wrong way down the A66 dual carriageway near Middlesbrough and crashed head-on into a police car. The collision also killed the two officers inside, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, who were not involved in a police pursuit of the Passat that had already been called off shortly beforehand. The other men who died were 17-year-olds Theo Rae and Cole Robert Worthy, along with a fourth passenger.
Saddington had been due to stand trial over allegations that he assaulted a police sergeant and racially abused a police constable, after appearing before Teesside magistrates in July; his case had been adjourned and had not yet been heard. This background has taken on added significance given the manner of his death, alongside reports that he had previously shared footage of himself in other incidents involving police chases.
The crash has prompted a strong public response, including a fundraising appeal for the families of the two dead officers that had raised more than £100,000 within days. Tributes have also been paid by the officers' relatives, including PC Blades' widow, describing the impact of their loss on their families.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those who see value in reporting Makai Saddington's outstanding charges argue that it provides legitimate public-interest context: two serving officers died carrying out their duty, and the public has a reasonable interest in understanding the pattern of behaviour, including alleged assaults and racial abuse of police, and reported footage of prior chases, that preceded the collision. On this view, omitting such facts would give an incomplete picture of the circumstances and of the pressures officers face from repeat, high-risk offenders, and could hinder wider debate about how such patterns are managed before tragedy strikes.
The case against
Others argue that dwelling on unproven, adjourned charges against a young man who cannot now defend himself in court amounts to posthumous character judgement rather than fair reporting, especially given the presumption of innocence. They would say the emphasis risks compounding the grief of Saddington's own family, who have also lost a teenage son, and diverts attention from the shared human tragedy of five young men and two officers all losing their lives, reducing a complex, painful event to a simplistic narrative before all the facts of the crash itself are established.