A father whose disabled son was killed as he tried to cross the M62 motorway in the aftermath of a crash has admitted to manslaughter.
Callum Rycroft, from Leeds, was described by his family in a devastating tribute paid earlier last month as a being a “beautiful happy soul” who was known for bringing “light, laughter, and noise into any room”.
But the 12-year-old tragically lost his life in a hit-and-run incident on the M62.
Callum was a passenger in his father, Matthew Rycroft’s, Audi Q5 on the day he died on 5 August 2023, with the 36-year-old having been drinking with family throughout the day, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), before driving off and subsequently crashing the vehicle off an M62 slip exit road for the Hartshead Moor Services in West Yorkshire.
Father admits manslaughter of disabled 12-year-old son who died trying to cross M62 / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Rycroft managed to exit the motorway, but failed to negotiate a sharp bend on the slip road before hitting the kerb and overturning the vehicle, the CPS said.
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Courts heard this week that, Matthew and Callum – who was said to have had no speed awareness due to his disability – then attempted to cross the motorway carriageway moments later, in what prosecutors described as “reckless folly”.
Callum was then struck by an oncoming vehicle, and was confirmed to have died instantly at the scene.
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Yesterday, Matthew Rycroft pleaded guilty to manslaughter of his son, as well as dangerous driving, and for failing to provide a specimen.
⚖️ A dad has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his 12-year-old son Callum Rycroft after crashing his car on the motorway.
Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Callum.
According to the CPS, Rycroft’s parents had urged him not to drive home from their residence in Huddersfield, where he and Callum had been visiting, and had offered the pair a place to stay overnight, but the father “paid no heed”, before refusing and driving away.
“Callum was heard in the background saying ‘Dad… won’t stop’,” the CPS said.
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“[Rycroft’s] parents also tried to follow him, but Rycroft ignored them, and his Audi was seen driving erratically in Huddersfield, before joining the M62 at junction 25.”
As Rycroft appeared via a video link from prison to Leeds Crown Court yesterday – where he entered his guilty pleas – the CPS continued in its account: “Rycroft and Callum then began to walk toward the main carriageway. Callum called his mother, and dialled 999, but Rycroft told him to end the call. They were seen to cross the motorway to the central reservation, and then for an unknown reason tried to run back.”
Ultimately, Tom Neofytou from the CPS said Callum “should have been under the protection of his father”, and described it as an “absolutely tragic incident”.
Matthew Rycroft is to be sentenced no earlier than 19 September.
Featured Image – West Yorkshire Police
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New endometriosis pill helping hundreds of women with ‘debilitating’ condition to be made available on NHS
Emily Sergeant
A groundbreaking new pill to help women with a ‘debilitating’ condition is set to be made available on the NHS.
The new daily pill for endometriosis – which has been approved for use on the NHS in England by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – is called linzagolix, and will be available for those who have had previous treatment for endometriosis, working to manage any symptoms they may be experiencing.
Around 1.5 million women in the UK are thought to be currently living with endometriosis.
Endometriosis can cause chronic pain, heavy periods, and extreme tiredness when tissue similar to the womb lining grows elsewhere in the body.
A new daily pill for endometriosis has been approved for use on the NHS, and could help over a thousand women in England every year manage the symptoms of the debilitating condition.
As mentioned, linzagolix will be available specifically for patients whose previous medical or surgical treatments for endometriosis have been unsuccessful, and will be given alongside ‘add-back’ hormone therapy – which involves using low-dose hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to prevent menopause-like symptoms and bone loss.
This is the second take-at-home treatment to be approved to treat endometriosis on the NHS, and it’s thought that more than 1,000 women will benefit.
In clinical trials, linzagolix was shown to be successful in reducing painful periods and non-menstrual pelvic pain, compared with placebo, hence why it has been approved on the NHS by NICE.
“This is welcome news for women with endometriosis who haven’t found relief from previous therapies or surgery,” commented Dr Sue Mann, who is the National Clinical Director in Women’s Health for NHS England.
“It’s another treatment option which will help women take control of their health and better manage the symptoms of this often painful and debilitating condition.
“This is a testament to our ongoing commitment to improving treatment, care and quality of life for women.”
Featured Image – Heute
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Wigan woman jailed after hitting pedestrian in Fiat 500 while driving high on nitrous oxide ‘balloons’
Emily Sergeant
A young woman from Wigan has been handed jail time after hitting a pedestrian while driving high on nitrous oxide.
Louisa Tunstall was driving a white Fiat 500 towards the East Lancashire Road in Wigan at around 7pm on Friday 24 May 2024 – a time when traffic conditions were said to be ‘quiet’ – but Tunstall was under the influence of a now-banned drug, nitrous oxide, at the time of the incident, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed.
While driving under the influence, 19-year-old Tunstall veered to the left onto the pavement and collided with a 51-year-old woman pedestrian.
After striking the woman, the car then overturned and, in the process, caused serious life-changing injuries.
When questioned by police, Tunstall stated that she ‘took her eyes off the road’ to retrieve something in the footwell before knowing the car had flipped, but she also confirmed that she had just been out to purchase nitrous oxide to use that evening.
After obtaining witness accounts, investigating officers were able to track down nearby CCTV footable which showed Tunstall inhaling nitrous oxide through a balloon whilst driving, seconds before the collision occurred.
#JAILED | It's not a laughing matter when you get behind the wheel under the influence of drugs.
Now Louisa Tunstall has to spend over a year behind bars after inhaling nitrous oxide and causing serious injury in #Wigan last year.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) May 14, 2025
Further investigation by GMP’s Forensic Vehicle Examination Unit examined the Fiat 500 and confirmed that no defects were found on the car to contribute towards the collision.
Still to this day, the victim says she is trying to recover from the injuries sustained to her leg that will prevent her from continuing life as she did before.
“The incident is still very raw when I think about it,” the victim explained in her impact statement released by GMP. “I become upset when I think at everything which has been taken away from me and the ongoing affect it has had and continues to have on my daily life.”
GMP says it’s seeing the use of nitrous oxide being a factor in incidents they attend increasing year on year.
Nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’, is reported to produce euphoria, relaxation, dizziness, giggling or laughing fits, impaired judgement, and occasionally dissociation and hallucinations – which GMP says affects reaction time and and is ‘likely lead to impairment’ in driving performance, particularly when faced with an unexpected or hazardous situation.
Tunstall appeared at Bolton Crown Court this week, and has been sentenced to one year and eight months imprisonment for having possession of a Class C drug, driving under the influence of drugs, and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Alongside being jailed, she was also disqualified from driving for two years and eight months, and has been ordered to take an extended test when she is released.
Emily Sergeant -
6th September 2023 
