Teenagers have been seen hanging out of car windows as large crowds gathered in Middlesbrough for the funeral of a 17-year-old who died in last month’s A66 wrong-way crash. Groups of young mourners lined streets in Acklam today as a horse-drawn carriage carrying the coffin of Theo Rae made its way towards Teesside Crematorium. Theo was one of five people travelling in a Volkswagen Passat which was being driven the wrong way along the A66 on August 22 when it collided head-on with a marked police vehicle. The crash killed seven people, including Cleveland Police officers PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38. As today’s funeral procession travelled through Acklam, young people gathered along the route while some were seen leaning out of the windows of moving vehicles. Several Middlesbrough schools closed early ahead of the funeral amid concerns about significant traffic disruption and the potential for disorder. Outwood Academy Acklam closed at 12.15pm, Newham Bridge Primary at 1pm, while Acklam Whin Primary and Green Lane School closed at 1.15pm. Outwood Academy told parents the decision had been taken following “careful consideration of the potential impact on pupils, staff and families travelling to and from the school”. Parents were encouraged to collect their children personally where possible. The precautions follow disorder and disruption surrounding previous gatherings connected with those killed in the A66 Collision. Hundreds of people gathered in Middlesbrough’s South Bank last Friday for the funeral of Jakub Matusiak, 23, who also died in the crash, with mourners wearing black or orange. The wider response to funerals and vigils has become politically contentious. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described today’s school closures as “obscene” and accused Education Secretary Lucy Powell of failing to intervene. She said the Government was “allowing gang violence to dictate the lives of law-abiding citizens”, adding that it “sets a terrible precedent”. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott had also criticised disruption surrounding previous events, saying last week that “thugs on quad bikes shouldn’t get to dictate who goes to school”. The aftermath of the fatal A66 collision has seen a significant policing operation mounted across Middlesbrough. Around 200 specialist officers have previously been drafted in amid concerns about disorder associated with gatherings and vigils. Previous incidents have included vehicles being set alight in fields, large groups of masked youths gathering and off-road bikes being ridden through residential areas. Police and local authorities have been monitoring events surrounding the funerals as communities continue to deal with the aftermath of the crash.
Originally published by UKNIP.
