Father admits manslaughter of son who was hit by car while trying to cross M62

A man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his disabled son who was killed in a crash while trying to run across the M62.

Matthew Rycroft was driving drunk on the motorway before crashing his car on a slip road with his son Callum Rycroft also in the vehicle, said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Callum, 12, was hit by a car while attempting to cross between junctions 25 and 26 of the M62 at about 9.50pm on August 5.

The CPS said Callum had no speed awareness due to his disability and “should have been under the protection of his father”.

On Tuesday, Callum’s father Matthew Rycroft, 36, pleaded guilty to manslaughter, dangerous driving and failing to provide a specimen.

Appearing via a videolink from prison to Leeds Crown Court, Rycroft of Nowell View, Leeds admitted driving an Audi Q5 dangerously on the day of the crash between Paddock Cricket Club, Huddersfield and Hartshead Moor services.

He also pleaded guilty to failing to provide a specimen, which a court previously heard was at Leeds General Infirmary the next day.

Rycroft had visited his parents in Huddersfield with Callum and had been drinking throughout the day, a CPS spokesperson said.

They added that Rycroft’s parents urged him not to drive and offered him a place to stay overnight, but he refused and drove away.

“His parents called him and urged him to stop driving, but he paid no heed,” the CPS said.

“Callum was heard in the background saying  ‘Dad … won’t stop’. They also tried to follow him, but Rycroft ignored them, and his Audi was seen driving erratically in Huddersfield, before joining the M62 at junction 25.”

Witnesses reported seeing Rycroft swerve across lanes on the motorway before colliding with a crash barrier, the CPS said.

Rycroft managed to exit the motorway at Hartshead Moor services, where he failed to negotiate a sharp bend on the slip road before hitting the kerb and overturning the vehicle.

The CPS said: “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.

Tom Neofytou from the CPS said: “This is an absolutely tragic incident involving the death of a 12-year-old boy.

“His father’s insistence on driving while 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.”

Judge Rodney Jameson remanded Rycroft in custody until his sentencing, which he said would be no earlier than September 19.

The judge told the defendant: “I can’t, I’m afraid, tell you the exact date the court will pass sentence because a decision has to be made as to whether it needs to be dealt with by a high court judge.”