It has emerged that Aaron Saddington, the uncle of one of the five young people killed in last Saturday's A66 crash, was jailed in June for dangerous driving after leading police on a 100mph chase on the same road, driving into oncoming traffic. His 18-year-old nephew, Makai Saddington, died alongside four friends and two police officers when a stolen VW Passat collided head-on with a police vehicle while travelling the wrong way down the dual carriageway. The revelation adds a troubling family dimension to a crash that has already exposed links to organised crime networks operating in Teesside.

Aaron Saddington, 23, received a 20-month sentence after admitting dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance. The fatal crash, which killed PCs Tom Clough and Matthew Blades along with Cole Worthy, Makai Saddington, Jakub Matusiak, Theo Rae and Michael Cahill, is believed to have followed a ramming attack on Cole Worthy's father's home by a rival gang just 40 minutes earlier. Cleveland Police have now arrested 17 people in connection with the case, including a 16-year-old boy, with two suspects, Kai Beattie and Cameron George, already appearing in court on firearms and drugs charges.