M62 crash: Drink-drive dad jailed for son’s motorway death

Callum Rycroft was hit by a car as he tried to cross the M62 with his father

A drink driver who "abandoned" his son on a motorway moments before the boy was hit and killed by a car has been jailed for 10 years.

Callum Rycroft, 12, died as he and his father Matthew Rycroft crossed the M62 in West Yorkshire after the 37-year-old crashed their car on 5 August.

Rycroft admitted manslaughter and was jailed at Leeds Crown Court on Monday.

Judge Guy Kearl KC told Rycroft: "You were responsible for him and you are responsible for his death."

Judge Kearl said Rycroft had put Callum in "danger of extreme harm" and had "abandoned him".

The court heard Rycroft, of Nowell View, Leeds, had drunk lager and shots at the Paddock Cricket Club in Huddersfield after taking Callum, who was autistic, to visit his grandfather.

Rycroft's father urged him not to drive back to Leeds but he insisted on driving back with Callum.

The pair left the club at about 21:05 BST in a silver Audi Q5 courtesy car, which Rycroft was driving while his vehicle was being repaired.

They were seen travelling eastbound on the motorway by another driver, who described the car as swerving between lanes before it hit a barrier on the left-hand side.

The car flipped over on the slip road at Hartshead Moor services.

Matthew Rycroft was jailed for 10 years for manslaughter

The court then saw CCTV footage that showed Rycroft and Callum walking along the hard shoulder of the M62, with Callum walking on the side closest to the traffic.

They walked for about 15 minutes, covering about 1.12 km (0.7 miles).

Rycroft was seen crossing to the central reservation and Callum followed.

When the pair tried to cross back, Rycroft reached the hard shoulder and carried on walking eastbound without looking back for his son, who had been struck by a car.

The court heard Rycroft was later found hiding in bushes by the fire service and did not mention Callum or ask where he was.

He was taken to Leeds General Infirmary, where he "did not mention Callum at all" and swore at staff, according to prosecution barrister Michael Smith.

The court heard that when he was told his son had died, Rycroft became upset.

Callum, 12, was described as having "such an impact" on everyone who met him

In a victim impact statement, Callum's mother Claire Bancroft said: "Callum was with someone who he trusted the most. Someone who should have kept him safe and brought him home."

She said Callum had "worshipped the ground" his father walked on and that her son's death had had "such an impact on everyone who had met him".

Barrister Matthew Harding, defending Rycroft, said: "He will have to live with the utterly tragic consequences of that night for the rest of his life.

"It is a punishment well in excess of any that your lordship must and will impose."

Judge Kearl told Rycroft he had had several opportunities to "wait for help" but said: "You continued to attempt to flee the scene, despite knowing that Callum was not with you.

"You didn't even turn around to search for your son."

Rycroft was also disqualified from driving for nine years and seven months.