Inquests to open for victims of A66 head-on crash
It comes as fatal Grangetown fire murder investigation continues
The Teesside Coroner will open inquests for seven individuals who died in a head-on crash on the A66.
The hearings at Teesside Magistrates’ Court include Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38.
The officers were in a marked police car that was struck by a VW Passat evading police pursuit.
In the afternoon session, inquests will open for Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak, who were in the Passat.
The collision occurred Saturday morning at South Bank.
In parallel, Cleveland Police are questioning two individuals, aged 23 and 31, in connection to a nearby house fire in Grangetown that resulted in two fatalities.
Authorities have not ruled out connections between the blaze and the crash.
Natalie McDonald, 34, and her niece, seven-year-old Valentina Foster, perished in the fire at an end-of-terrace house on Birchington Avenue, Grangetown.
Ms McDonald’s mother described her deceased daughter as “a beautiful, bubbly person who everyone knew,” while referring to the niece as “a very cute girl.”
Three others were injured with non life-threatening conditions, but a 48-year-old woman remains critically ill in the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
Superintendent Emily Harrison mentioned detectives are keeping an open mind regarding links to organised crime.
The A66 crash involved a VW Passat, which was previously pursued for ramming a house in Middlesbrough, linked to Worthy.
Police have arrested 17 people in connection with the crash investigations, with organised crime cited as a potential factor.
An online fundraising effort for the officers' families surpassed £1 million.