Gye Worthy was expected to return to court on October 27 to face sentencing for an assault that took place during his teenage son’s funeral. Instead, his absence left the proceedings unresolved and raised fresh questions about when the case would move forward.

The case follows the death of 17-year-old Cole Worthy in the August 22 A66 collision in South Bank, which claimed seven lives, including two Cleveland Police officers. As investigations into the fatal crash continue separately, Gye Worthy’s court proceedings have taken another turn.

Gye Worthy Arrest Warrant Issued After October 27 Court Absence

Worthy, 40, was due to appear at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, October 27, for sentencing over offences committed during his son’s funeral, alongside a separate shop theft case.

According to the court proceedings, Worthy did not attend the hearing. The court heard that he had not contacted the court to explain his absence and had not been in communication with his solicitors. It also emerged that a warrant had already been issued the previous day after he failed to attend another hearing.

Deputy District Judge Julia Baggs accepted the prosecution’s application for a warrant without bail.

The judge said: “In these circumstances, I do accept the application for a warrant not backed by bail.”

A warrant not backed by bail means Worthy is to be held in custody when located, rather than released on bail while awaiting another court appearance.

However, the latest reports available at the time of writing do not establish that Worthy has been arrested following the October 27 warrant. No new sentencing date had been reported, leaving the proceedings unresolved as of October 27.

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What was Worthy due to be sentenced for?

The October 27 listings covered two cases. One concerned assault by beating and obstructing or resisting a constable in the execution of duty. The other concerned theft from a shop.

Both cases were listed for sentencing before Deputy District Judge Julia Baggs. Because Worthy failed to attend, the court did not impose a sentence at that hearing.

Date	Event	Details
August 22, 2026	A66 collision	Seven people, including Cole Worthy and two police officers, died
September 9, 2026	Cole Worthy’s funeral	A disturbance occurred at Teesside Crematorium
October 8, 2026	Shop theft	Worthy stole four bottles of wine valued at £30, according to the admitted offence
October 26, 2026	Earlier missed hearing	A warrant was issued after Worthy failed to attend court
October 27, 2026	Scheduled sentencing	Worthy failed to appear, and a warrant without bail was issued

What Happened at Cole Worthy’s Funeral?

The assault case stems from a disturbance at Teesside Crematorium in Middlesbrough on September 9, during the funeral of Cole Worthy, one of five young people killed in the A66 collision.

Cleveland Police said at the time that a man arrested at the crematorium had been charged with common assault, a public-order offence and obstructing police. Officers remained in the area to provide reassurance, and the funeral service resumed after the arrest.

The subsequent court proceedings recorded the offences as assault by beating and obstructing or resisting a constable in the execution of duty. A further public-order allegation also appeared in earlier court listings.

Worthy has admitted assaulting funeral celebrant Paul Maull during the service. At a hearing in September, he also admitted resisting arrest in connection with the incident.

That distinction matters: the October hearing was intended to determine the sentence for offences Worthy had admitted, not to hold a trial to establish whether he committed them. His absence meant that sentencing could not proceed as scheduled.

Separate Theft Case Involving Four Bottles of Wine

The funeral-related offences were not the only matters listed for sentencing on October 27.

Worthy had also admitted stealing four bottles of wine worth £30 from a shop on October 8. He appeared in court two days after the theft, and the case was adjourned to allow preparation of a pre-sentence report.

The theft proceedings were subsequently listed alongside the funeral case. With Worthy absent from court on October 27, no sentence was imposed for that offence either.

Other court listings remain separate

Publicly available court records also show separate proceedings involving an allegation of possessing a Class C controlled drug and another theft-from-a-shop allegation. Those matters were listed for first hearings on October 24, 25 and 26.

They are distinct from the funeral assault and the October 8 theft that Worthy has admitted. The entries identify the later matters as first hearings, not sentencing hearings.

The existence of those listings does not establish guilt. The public court record specifically cautions that an appearance in a court record does not imply that a person is guilty of an allegation.

Worthy’s failure to attend court on October 26 preceded the October 27 sentencing hearing and formed part of the sequence of missed appearances reported in connection with the warrant.

Cole Worthy Was One of Seven People Killed in the A66 Crash

The wider context behind the case is the fatal collision that killed Cole and six other people on August 22.

Cleveland Police said the crash happened at approximately 3:39am after a Volkswagen Passat travelled in the wrong direction along the A66 at South Bank and collided with a marked police vehicle travelling in the correct direction. All seven occupants of the two vehicles died at the scene.

The five people travelling in the Passat were:

• Cole Worthy, 17
• Theo Rae, 17
• Makai Saddington, 18
• Michael Cahill, 23
• Jakub Matusiak, 23

The two police officers were PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38.

Cleveland Police formally identified those killed following the collision and said specialist family liaison officers were supporting their bereaved families.

Because the crash followed police contact, the incident was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which began an independent investigation within hours.

IOPC Investigation Reveals Timeline of Police Pursuit

In an update published on September 29, the IOPC provided further details about the events leading up to the collision.

According to the watchdog, the police pursuit began at approximately 3:33am. Six minutes and 12 seconds later, at around 3:39am, the Passat’s driver slowed heavily while approaching the A66 junction, turned right and began travelling against the flow of traffic.

The police vehicle pursuing the Passat did not follow it onto the wrong carriageway. The pursuing officer remained on the correct carriageway and turned off the vehicle’s blue lights.

Approximately 17 seconds later, the Passat collided with another police vehicle travelling on the correct carriageway. That second police vehicle was not the one involved in the pursuit.

The IOPC said the evidence available at that stage indicated there was no tactical contact initiated by police when the collision occurred and that no stinger was used during the pursuit. A stinger is a portable device designed to puncture vehicle tyres.

A forensic collision investigator was examining ways to establish the vehicles’ speeds at the time of impact.

The IOPC also commissioned two expert reports: one examining collision reconstruction and another reviewing the policies and procedures governing police pursuits. The watchdog said the investigation was expected to take months rather than weeks because of the volume of evidence and expert analysis required.

The officers involved in the pursuit were being treated as witnesses at that stage. The IOPC said there was no suggestion that the collision resulted from direct police contact.

Separate Criminal Investigation Examines Events Before the Crash

Alongside the IOPC inquiry, Cleveland Police launched a separate criminal investigation into alleged activities before the fatal collision.

On August 24, the force said it had received reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously in the Middlesbrough area on the morning of August 22.

The first vehicle, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was linked to reports of ramming properties. The second vehicle, the Volkswagen Passat, was believed to have been associated with those activities.

Police said both vehicles were operating with cloned number plates and had been detected through the force’s automated number plate recognition system. The Volvo was subsequently traced and recovered in Middlesbrough.

The force described its wider inquiry as an investigation into serious criminal activity surrounding the events leading up to the fatal collision.

On August 24, Cleveland Police announced 12 arrests involving nine men and three women aged between 19 and 61. The arrests concerned allegations including participation in an organised crime group, possession of an offensive weapon, criminal damage, threats, and firearms and drug offences.

Police also said four of the Passat’s occupants had previous police convictions.

Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox described the investigation as “a fast moving and complex investigation, with significant links to serious and organised criminal activity.”

He said police would continue investigating the criminal activity surrounding the incident.

These wider investigations must remain separate from Worthy’s sentencing case. The police information provided does not establish that he was involved in the organised-crime allegations connected to the crash.

Property linked to the Worthy family was rammed

Police investigations also established that a property linked to the Worthy family in Acklam, Middlesbrough, was rammed by a vehicle shortly before the A66 collision.

The incident formed part of the wider circumstances being investigated by Cleveland Police. Contemporary reporting identified the property as being associated with the Worthy family.

The force’s August 24 statement said the Volvo XC60 was believed to have been involved in ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area. It did not establish every detail subsequently reported about the circumstances surrounding the crash as conclusive.

The distinction remains important: the IOPC is investigating the police pursuit and fatal collision, while Cleveland Police is separately examining the alleged criminal activity preceding the crash.

Two Funerals Took Place on September 9

Cole Worthy’s funeral took place on September 9, the same day as the funeral of PC Matthew Blades, one of the two officers killed in the collision.

Blades and PC Tom Clough had been travelling in a marked police vehicle when the Passat struck them. The IOPC subsequently confirmed that the officers’ vehicle was not the police vehicle that had been pursuing the Passat.

The disturbance during Cole’s funeral therefore occurred on a day when services were also being held for people killed in the same collision.

Cleveland Police said officers remained nearby following Worthy’s arrest to provide reassurance, and the funeral service resumed.

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Conclusion: What Happens Next in Gye Worthy’s Case?

Gye Worthy’s sentencing for assaulting funeral celebrant Paul Maull, resisting arrest and the separate October 8 theft remains outstanding after he failed to attend court on October 27. Deputy District Judge Julia Baggs issued a warrant without bail, but the latest available reporting does not establish that Worthy has since been located or arrested.

His separate allegations involving Class C drug possession and another shop theft remain distinct proceedings, and their appearance in court records does not establish guilt. Meanwhile, the IOPC investigation into the A66 collision continues, with expert analysis still required to establish the full circumstances.

For now, the immediate issue is Worthy’s return to court so that sentencing can proceed. The wider investigations into the fatal crash and the alleged criminal activity surrounding it remain separate and ongoing.

Source and Research Disclaimer: This article has been prepared using the sources provided below, including court reporting, publicly available court records, Cleveland Police statements and updates from the Independent Office for Police Conduct. It reflects the information available in those sources at the time of writing and does not imply independent verification beyond the material they provide. Court proceedings and investigations remain ongoing, and further developments may change the information currently available.

Sources

• ITV News Tyne Tees: Warrant issued for Gye Worthy after missed sentencing hearing
• The Yorkshire Post / PA: Gye Worthy fails to attend court
• Open Court Data UK: Gye Worthy court records
• Independent Office for Police Conduct: September 29 A66 investigation update
• Cleveland Police: Updated statement on A66 collision in South Bank
• Cleveland Police: August 24 investigation and arrests update
• The Independent: Gye Worthy charged after funeral disturbance
• The Independent: Gye Worthy funeral assault case

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