Teen killed in A66 'wrong-way' crash was awaiting trial after 'pleading guilty to assaulting police'
An 18-year-old involved in the crash which killed seven people, including two police officers, had a history of assaulting the police
One of the teens killed in the A66 crash which also killed two police officers had pleaded guilty to multiple counts of assaulting police officers, according to court documents.
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Makai Saddington, 18, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and indicated a guilty plea to causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to another officer in Middlesbrough on June 9, according to a spokesperson from HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS). He entered his pleas at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on July 17 and was handed a 12-month conditional discharge.
The HMCTS spokesperson also said that on April 1, Saddington appeared before the same court where he admitted three counts of assaulting Pc John Walker in Middlesbrough on October 11 2025. He was made to pay a total of £240 in court costs and carry out rehabilitation requirements.
Saddington was one of seven people who died on the A66 near Middlesbrough after he and four of his friends drove the wrong way down the motorway into a police car.
Read more: Twelve people aged between 19 and 61 arrested in connection with deadly A66 crash
The officers Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, were on the correct side of the road when their armed response vehicle was hit by the Volkswagen Passat driven by Saddington and his friends. They are remembered by their families and friends as “genuine real-life heroes.”
One of the other drivers killed in the crash, 23-year-old Jacob Mantusiak, posted videos online earlier this year of himself driving recklessly and being pursued by the police.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that people who glorify dangerous driving are “doing something that’s truly reprehensible.”
Defence Minister Luke Pollard told LBC’s Tom Swarbrick that the government is calling on social media platforms to take down their content promoting dangerous driving.
“We've already spoken to social media companies telling them to take down that type of content,” said Pollard.
Pollard said he will be using the enforcement powers of the Online Safety Act to work on taking these videos on.
“I think it's pretty obvious that this type of content is in no one's best interest, and certainly social media companies can be part of the solution by removing it from their platforms,” added Pollard.
A Downing Street spokeswoman also told the press: “The glorification of dangerous driving for clips and entertainment is utterly disgraceful and that is why we have raised the issue of this appalling content with social media companies since the tragedy, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy) is clear that it should be removed in line with their legal obligations.”
She added that Ofcom has the Government’s “full backing to take tough action” against platforms which fail in their legal duties.
According to TikTok, content that causes physical harm, including dangerous driving, is prohibited, and the company works to remove videos and accounts that break its policies against posting dangerous activities.
Meta has been contacted for comment.