August 8th 2023.
A father has been accused of causing the death of his young son on a motorway, leading to its closure for several hours. Matthew Rycroft, 36, and his son Callum, 12, were walking on the M62 near Huddersfield on Saturday night when Rycroft crashed an Audi on a motorway slip road. Subsequently, they were both hit by a Toyota, resulting in the death of Callum and injury of his father.
The driver of the Toyota, a 47-year-old man from Bolton, Greater Manchester, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released on bail pending further enquiries.
Matthew Rycroft was taken to court in Leeds this morning, where he was charged with three offences: being a member of the same household allowing or causing the death of a child; dangerous driving; and failing to provide a specimen. The dangerous driving is said to have happened in the Marsh area of Huddersfield shortly before the motorway crash.
Rycroft appeared in court with cuts, grazes and bruises to his face. He spoke only to confirm his name, age and address, and was flanked by two dock officers, wearing a grey sweatshirt and sweatpants. Prosecutor Vanessa Jones described Callum's death as 'very sad', and asked District Judge David Kitson to remand Rycroft into custody until his appearance at Leeds crown court. Louise Stead, representing Rycroft, made no application for bail.
No members of Callum's family were in the public gallery for the two minute hearing. Judge Kitson told Rycroft, who showed no emotion in court, that he will next appear before Leeds crown court on September 5.
Yesterday, Callum's mother paid tribute to her 'beautiful, happy' boy. The police investigation is still ongoing and they're appealing for anyone with dashcam footage in the area at the time of the crash to get in touch.
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