Tributes have poured in for the two “brave” police officers killed in the A66 crash near Middlesbrough, as the families of those who died described their grief.
Cleveland Police officers PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way on the A66 collided with their marked police vehicle in the early hours of Saturday. Five men in the Passat also died.
The young men in the car were named by police as Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, and Theo Rae, 17. The police watchdog said the Passat had been involved in a pursuit that ended shortly before the fatal collision.
Cleveland Police’s chief constable, Victoria Fuller, described Blades and Clough as “brave officers protecting our communities.” The family of PC Tom Clough called him “our hero,” while PC Matthew Blades’ wife said the “pain of losing him is beyond words.”
Inquests into the deaths are due to open this week.
Your News Website is following updates from Cleveland Police, the IOPC and local reporting.
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