The two hero officers killed by five ‘TikTok joyriders’ have been pictured for the first time.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38, died in the early hours of Saturday when a car travelling the wrong way down the A66 crashed head-on into his police vehicle.

The young men in the other car were today names as Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Jacob Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18.

Both police officers and the five men in the VW Passat – which Cleveland Police believes was using cloned plates – were declared dead at the scene. 

Officers in another police vehicle had earlier been pursuing the ‘joyriders’ for seven minutes before aborting the chase, the force revealed on Sunday.

Just 10 seconds later, the Passat crashed into Blades and Clough’s police car, which had not been involved in the pursuit. The separate police vehicle was in the area after the plates on the boys’ car activated an ANPR camera. 

Mr Blades can be seen in social media posts smiling at the camera as he attends Manchester United football matches and completes a half marathon.

The husband and father-of-two had recently become a coach for local amateur football team Seaton Carew FC and was preparing for his first turn teaching its under-sevens team – who his son plays for. 

An image of Mr Clough from October 2021 shows him in a previous role for British Transport Police meeting then Darlington Tory MP Peter Gibson at the town’s rail station.

Friends described the officer, who was a former soldier, as a ‘genuine, caring, decent man’.

PC Tom Clough pictured, right, in a previous role for British Transport Police meeting then Darlington Tory MP Peter Gibson at the town’s rail station

Makai Saddington, 18, one of the five youngsters killed in the VW Passat, had posted videos on TikTok of him being chased by police over the past few months

Jacob Matusiak, 23, was also confirmed by police today as one of the five killed in the crash

The pair have been hailed for their bravery after being killed in the line of duty.

Cleveland police and crime commissioner Matt Storey described the force as a ‘really tight-knit family’ and said the incident would ‘have a big impact on them’.

Last night it emerged Saddington had posted a string of TikTok videos appearing to show him taking part in high-speed police chases months before his death.

It is understood he and his companions had close links to the traveller community.

In the early hours of Saturday, the group of young men became involved in a pursuit with two police cars chasing the ‘suspicious’ vehicle.

Ring doorbell footage at 3.36am shows the VW Passat being driven at speed through Middlesbrough’s streets. Officers called off the pursuit when the vehicle drove on to the A66.

Just three minutes after the pursuit was caught on camera, at 3.39am, the car ploughed into the path of a different marked armed-response vehicle, which was on the correct side of the A66.

Seaton Carew FC said on social media: ‘He was looking forward to being part of the team and, most importantly, to coaching his own son, who is going to be playing for the Seahawks [under-sevens] this season.

‘Matty and his oldest son are much-loved members of our club and our U10 Lions football family.’

A friend of Mr Clough said: ‘It makes me so angry and so sad that Tom lost his life in that way.

‘He was a genuine, caring, decent man. If he could have, he would have apprehended the lads in the car and he would have tried to help them, that’s the way he saw his job in the army and in the police force.

‘It’s taking a long time to sink in that he’s gone having lived only half his life, it’s so unfair and I feel for his partner and daily so much.

‘He served in the army before the police force and was also a very good soldier. He’s a huge loss.’

Friends said PC Clough had also served in the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. 

Cleveland Police lowered flags to half-mast at their Middlesbrough HQ in tribute to their colleagues, who are understood to have not been part of the pursuit. Seaton Carew FC also made the same gesture today.

Chief Constable Victoria Fuller looked close to tears yesterday as she told how she and her deputy David Felton had visited the families of PC Blades and PC Clough to offer condolences and support ‘with this unimaginable loss’.

Paying tribute to the men, she said: ‘These were brave officers, protecting our communities and serving our residents, who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift.’

She added: ‘This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland. The loss has been felt across our communities, by our police family, and by our partner agencies.

‘My thoughts, and the thoughts of everybody here at Cleveland Police, are with their families, friends, colleagues, and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.’

Lauren Somerville, chairman of the Cleveland Police Federation, said: ‘Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family is feeling today.

Balloons have been tied near the scene of the crash on the A66 in South Bank, Middlesbrough

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Flowers have been placed in memory of the victims including PC Blades and PC Clough

‘Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. That is just unfathomable.’  

Redcar MP Anna Turley, a government minister whose constituency covers the area, said of the officers: ‘They went to work to keep people safe, and they should have come home to their families.

‘Their loss will be felt deeply by their loved ones, fellow officers and right across the communities they served.’

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham thanked the emergency services for their response in ‘incredibly difficult circumstances’.

Writing on X, he added: ‘My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of everyone involved.’

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: ‘My thoughts are with the families and friends of those officers killed in the line of duty as well as those serving in Cleveland Police, the wider police family and all the emergency services who attended the scene.’

As an investigation into the incident continues, social media posts from the young men involved reveal some insight into their activities before the tragedy happened.

Close friends Theo Rae (left) and Cole Robert Worthy both died in the crash on Saturday

Michael Robert Cahill was praised by those who knew him as a ‘lovely, down to earth lad’

Saddington posted videos on his Tiktok of men in balaclavas driving cars at speed

In one clip, filmed in May by a passenger and set to rap music, 18-year-old Saddington is seen in an Audi being driven at speed through a housing estate with a police car’s blue lights flashing in pursuit.

The vehicle is then seen veering across a grassy playing field in an apparent bid to shake off officers.

Another video on an account associated with him shows a green Nissan being driven around before being set alight, while separate images posted elsewhere show him and a friend posing in cars wearing black balaclavas.

The clips reflect a trend of young men filming themselves being pursued by police at high speed and posting the clips on social media in pursuit of views and likes. 

It happened just days after five teenagers died in a head-on collision on a motorway in Ireland.

The masked youngsters were in a stolen BMW travelling the wrong way down the M9 in County Kildare at 2am last Sunday.

Police had tried to pull the stolen car over but it sped off the wrong way down the M9 to avoid a stinger device that had been deployed to stop the car.

The occupants of the other vehicle – three sisters and a seven-year-old boy – suffered serious injuries in the crash and remain in hospital. 

Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller named the two police officers killed as PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough during a police press conference on Saturday

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This was the scene on Sunday morning beside the A66 as police inquiries continue

Following news of Saturday’s Middlesbrough crash, family and friends posted a series of tributes to the five teenagers. 

The mother of Saddington’s one-year-old son posted on social media: ‘What am I supposed to do without ur daft phone calls and u torching (sic) me life’s so cruel.’

Meanwhile, friends of Worthy called his death ‘a massive devastation’ and another wrote: ‘Absolutely heartbroken, you are gonna be missed Cole, love u lots.’

He shared a friendship with Rae, who also died in the crash – with the pair pictured together last December and often commenting on each other’s social media posts.

One commenter wrote of Theo that he was ‘taken way too soon’ and had a ‘heart of gold’, describing as someone who would have ‘done anything for anyone’. 

Cahill was praised online as a ‘lovely, down to earth lad’.

The sister of Matusiak said her heart was ‘broken’ by the news, describing her sibling as her ‘best friend always and forever’. 

A friend wrote he would be ‘missed by everyone who knows you’. 

As more details emerged, householders in Lime Road – a mile from the crash site – told how they were woken by the noise as the stolen car ‘shot down’ the street, followed by police cars.

Neil Hutchison, 47, said: ‘You could tell from the noise that they were travelling at high speed. 

‘Two cars went down the street and then a few seconds later there was a third, they were obviously going after another vehicle. It’s tragic that it ended with people dead.’

Craze that claimed five more young lives just a week ago 

By Padraic Flanagan

It was feared last night that the A66 crash may be a copycat tragedy – thanks to the deadly TikTok craze that claimed the lives of five teenagers in a head-on motorway smash in the Irish Republic last week.

In that case, the youngsters, who were all wearing balaclavas in a stolen BMW travelling the wrong way down the country’s M9, died at the scene in Co Kildare in the early hours of Sunday.

The deaths of Joey Carthy, 15, Jack Kennedy, 17, Alex McCarthy, 16, Jeremy O’Brien, 18, and 17-year-old Kamil Pustkowski led to public fury at social media platforms after it emerged that the teenagers were filming themselves in the car. 

That anger intensified on Thursday when TikTok declined an invitation to appear before an Irish parliamentary committee on media to discuss the latest craze of posting videos of people driving the wrong way down motorways.

Sisters Ella Hendricken, who is in her 20s, and Niamh and Alma Kinsella, in their 30s, as well as Alma’s seven-year-old son, Yemi, are being treated in hospital for serious injuries after their Hyundai was hit by the BMW.

The innocent victims, from Graiguecullen, Co Carlow, were on their way to Dublin to fly out for a family wedding in the UK when the teens smashed into their car. Three of the five teens killed in the M9 tragedy were buried on Friday. Two more funerals are due to take place today and on Tuesday.

Videos featuring youngsters in stolen cars trying to bait police into high-speed chases have become a macabre trend.

Mary Aiken, a professor of forensic cyber-psychology at the University of East London, told The Guardian: ‘While driving, they’re simultaneously filming and capturing content for posting later or live streaming. They have one foot in the real world and one foot in cyberspace. They’re thinking about the likes… about kudos.’

Jady Cristine Pereira Rosa was found dead in an apartment in Limerick – a murder investigation has been launched

A fundraiser has been launched to assist the family of Jady Cristine Pereira Rosa for a final farewell. The appeal is to raise money to cover the repatriation of her body and funeral arrangements.

The Brazilian woman was discovered dead at a flat on Cecil Street in Limerick City at approximately 7.30am on August 21. Gardaí have opened a murder investigation into her death, reports Dublin Live.

Investigating officers confirmed they would not be disclosing post-mortem results for “operational reasons”. A fundraiser has been established by Jady’s loved ones to ensure she receives a “dignified farewell in her home country”.

“Today we come together for a reason no one should ever have to face” the fundraiser states.

“Our dear Jady, a Brazilian who was living in Limerick, Ireland, had her life tragically taken. In this moment of immense grief, we want to help her family give her the dignified farewell she deserves in her home country, surrounded by the people who love her.”

“Jady’s employer will cover the cost of transporting her body from Ireland to Brazil. However, there are still important expenses that must be covered so she can be transported from the airport in São Paulo to her hometown, as well as the costs of her wake and burial.”

The fundraiser has been created specifically to help meet the cost of transporting Jady’s body from São Paulo airport to her final resting place, funeral service and burial costs, and other expenses directly connected to Jady’s final farewell.

“Any contribution, no matter the amount, will make a difference and will be a meaningful gesture of kindness and solidarity with her family during this incredibly difficult time.”

A Garda spokesperson confirmed on Saturday afternoon that a murder investigation had been launched.

“A Family Liaison Officer has been assigned to support the family of the deceased. The scene remains preserved, and a technical examination is ongoing by the Garda Technical Bureau.

A Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) has been appointed to lead the investigation. An incident room has been established at Henry Street Garda Station.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Henry Street Garda Station on (061) 212400.

The fundraiser can be found here.

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The NEC in Birmingham is offering the giveaway after research found parents typically reach “breaking point” just 19 days into the school holidays.

The free tickets cover major events and exhibitions taking place over the bank holiday weekend.

Sarah Harvey, deputy CEO at the NEC, said: “Six weeks of summer can feel endless when you’re juggling work, childcare and rising costs, and our research shows just how quickly parents can run out of ideas.

“We wanted to give families in Malton a chance to enjoy brilliant days out together without worrying about the spend, which is why we’re offering a limited number of free tickets.”

Among the attractions are PEPPA PIG Space Adventure, a hands-on walk-through journey from Peppa’s front door to the moon, and Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition, which uses 360° projections and VR to bring Ancient Egypt to life.

For those who miss out on tickets, the NEC Lakeside remains a free option, offering an outdoor cinema and play area throughout the summer.

To enter the giveaway, families can visit win.necgroup.co.uk/sos-nec-events/ and complete the entry form.

More details on events are available at thenec.co.uk.

Lando Norris and McLaren beat Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli to take a masterful strategic victory in a compelling Dutch Grand Prix.

A topsy-turvy race started amid chaos as Max Verstappen crashed his Red Bull at high speed on a damp track at the end of the first lap, leading to a red flag.

Antonelli took the lead from Norris at the restart, but through two pit stops, Norris built a tyre offset to fight back and pass Antonelli for the win.

Lewis Hamilton was leading the race at the time, just ahead of the battling pair, out of sync on his pit stops, but Norris went past him further around the same lap to take the lead on track.

A late virtual safety car led to some team orders controversy at Mercedes as George Russell was ordered to let Antonelli past into second place, leaving him vulnerable to Hamilton.

But Russell, with help from a late virtual safety car to allow marshals to recover debris on track, held Hamilton off to take the final podium position.

Further back, Fernando Alonso earned Aston Martin-Honda their first points since the incident-strewn Monaco race with an excellent drive on a one-stop strategy to ninth place.

The key stories of the first race after Formula 1’s summer break were:

More to follow.

England bowler Brydon Carse is under investigation after he was reportedly involved in an incident at a nightclub in Derby on Saturday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed.

Videos circulating on social media on Sunday appeared to show Carse in handcuffs, being led away from a club by four police officers.

The Durham bowler, who is England’s squad for the second Test against Pakistan this week, was seen with team-mate Matthew Potts.

“We are aware of an incident which is reported to have taken place in Derby last night, and are currently investigating,” an ECB statement read.

“We will provide a further update when possible.”

More to follow.

More than 300 workers were urgently evacuated today at a Russian Amazon logistics hub as it was hit in a Ukrainian drone attack.

It was the second Ozon online marketplace struck in two days as Vladimir Putin admitted Kyiv was damaging his economy with its latest onslaught.

This morning’s strike was in the southern city of Orenburg, about 800 miles from Ukraine.

The first targeted Ozon logistics centre in Chapayevsk, Samara region, was still ablaze 24 hours after it was hit on Saturday. 

Meanwhile, Moscow has pulled its ambassador out of Britain after Putin claimed the concerted strikes on so-called ‘Russian Amazon’ Ozon and Wildberries facilities were helped on by ‘Western handlers’ like the UK.

Ambassador Andrey Kelin left his diplomatic posting on July 21 after seven years in the position, and the Kremlin has not submitted any candidates to the Foreign Office to replace him.

Without this replacement, diplomatic relations have effectively been downgraded between the two countries and fears have arisen of a total breakdown of communications between Moscow and London.

Relations between the UK and Russia took a dive last week after it emerged that British drones had been used by Ukraine to strike targets deep in the Russian mainland, prompting the embassy to threaten ‘consequences’. 

The first targeted Ozon logistics centre in Chapayevsk, Samara region, was still ablaze 24 hours after it was hit on Saturday

Meanwhile, Moscow has pulled its ambassador Andrey Kelin out of Britain, marking a distinct dive in diplomatic relations between the countries. No replacement has yet been put forward

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Meanwhile, Ukraine believes Russia is planning to mobilise an additional 300,000 troops after parliamentary elections in September, President Volodymyr Zelensky said this morning.

He believes that these troops would be used in 2027 for the key goal of capturing the rest of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

On the ground in Russia, another huge blaze engulfed Kolpino, in St. Petersburg, where a warehouse the size of a dozen football pitches – or 861,000 sq ft – was ignited.

The inferno mysteriously erupted without a drone alert or air raid warning amid suspicions of sabotage.

The latest fires engulfing Russia came after 16 civilians were killed and 130 wounded by Putin drones in a brutal shopping complex attack.

They died in a daytime strike on the largest shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih, Volodymyr Zelensky’s home city.

Overnight, his forces again hit civilians in a Shahed kamikaze drone attack on a private house in Kharkiv region, where eight civilians were injured, including a 74-year-old woman.

Separately, Russia staged a drone attack on a train from Zhytomyr to Odesa, carrying 593 passengers, including 15 children.

The train was halted, and passengers were urgently evacuated, preventing casualties.

Putin sought to justify such attacks on Ukraine, which have been branded war crimes for targeting civilians.

‘Of course, these strikes are effective,’ he said.

‘They are timely. And, of course, this helps our soldiers, our boys, our heroes on the front lines to solve the combat tasks facing them.’

With the Russian embassy in London missing its ambassador, it is now headed by the chargé d’affaires, a lower-ranking diplomat.

It is unclear whether this will be a permanent change, but the delay could mean that the Kremlin believes the UK no longer deserves top-level political representation and, at the very least, is a way to express severe displeasure without severing ties completely.

A Russian embassy spokesperson said Ambassador Kelin had previously made ‘considerable efforts to preserve contacts and channels of communication’.

They told The Sunday Times: ‘He left Britain in the hope that a more constructive and respectful dialogue could eventually be restored, should the UK reconsider its policies towards our country.’ 

Kelin made headlines in the past after promoting pro-Russian propaganda, denying a UK Foreign Office report that the poison from a dart frog had been used to kill the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Last year he also rejected the findings of an official investigation into the Salisbury poison attack which killed Dawn Sturgess in 2018 and insisted it was staged by the British government.

A mysterious huge blaze engulfed Kolpino, in St. Petersburg, where a warehouse the size of a dozen football pitches – or 861,000 sq ft – was ignited

The inferno erupted without a drone alert or air raid warning amid suspicions of sabotage

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While the downgrade of diplomatic relations is usually announced publicly, Kelin’s departure was announced internally on June 11, a month before his departure, during a party at the embassy celebrating Russia Day.

Putin – speaking to his personal propagandist Pavel Zaburin – said his missile and drone onslaught helps to ‘disrupt the ability of Ukrainian forces to deliver equipment and ammunition’.

The 73-year-old dictator claimed he was responding to ‘yet another venture by the Kyiv regime and its Western handlers.’

They were planning to inflict a ‘strategic defeat on Russia….using massive missile strikes and UAVs against our civilian facilities and logistics’.

He appeared to be referring to the Ukrainian disabling of Wildberries and more recently Ozon, which Kyiv accuses of supplying his war machine.

‘The publicly stated goal was to destroy entire sectors of our country’s economy, undermine the unity of our people, and weaken the cohesion of Russian society,’ claimed Putin.

‘In short, the goal is to bring Russia to collapse.’

Putin, in an unusual admission, said Ukraine’s strikes on oil refineries and logistics hubs ‘are causing economic damage to our country and have led to losses’.

Overnight, Russia claimed to have shot down 328 Ukrainian drones.

Putin dismissed Ukrainian peace proposals as ‘exotic’.

‘We are always ready for a dialogue about peace, but only on the basis of the realities unfolding on the ground,’ he said.

By LUKE POWER, SPORTS REPORTER and JACK GAUGHAN and TOM COLLOMOSSE, FOOTBALL REPORTER and IAN LADYMAN, FOOTBALL EDITOR and CRAIG HOPE, CHIEF FOOTBALL REPORTER and LEWIS STEELE, FOOTBALL REPORTER and HARRY BAMFORTH, LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE REPORTER

Updated: 16:08 BST, 23 August 2026

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed that the crash, which occurred in Middlesbrough, followed a police pursuit involving a Volkswagen Passat which was believed to be using cloned plates that had activated an ANPR camera.

Cleveland Police had received intelligence linking the vehicle to several incidents and began a pursuit using an armed response vehicle.

The chase lasted just under seven minutes before the Passat entered the A66 at South Bank, driving against the flow of traffic.

Officers then made the decision to abort the pursuit and continued along the correct side of the carriageway.

About 10 seconds later, the Passat collided with a police vehicle that had not been part of the chase but was in the area assisting in the search for the Passat.

The IOPC confirmed that all seven people involved in the incident died.

Among the victims were two Cleveland Police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough.

The five men who died in the Passat were named as Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Jacob Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18.

Derrick Campbell, IOPC director of engagement, said: “Our thoughts continue to be with the family and friends and all those affected by yesterday’s collision.

“We recognise the devastating impact the incident has had on those in the force, and the wider policing community, and offer our condolences.

“We have obtained initial accounts of officers involved in the pursuit, the incident log, and in-car footage of the incident.

“Work is ongoing to obtain additional material.

“IOPC investigators will continue to review and analyse all the evidence that is available to us.

“We will not be providing any further comment at this time.”

An IOPC investigation began after a mandatory referral from Cleveland Police, with investigators attending the scene and post-incident procedures to review evidence.

TORONTO (AP) — Mark Carney drew international attention as Canada’s prime minister by warning that middle powers must resist economic coercion by more powerful countries. Now President Donald Trump is putting that warning to the test with sweeping new tariffs that could show how much economic pain Canada can absorb.

Tensions escalated late Friday when Canada walked away from negotiations after Carney concluded the United States was demanding too much in exchange for tariff relief. The U.S. imposed 50% duties Saturday on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, and Carney announced dollar-for-dollar retaliation beginning Sept. 8.

“We’re going to hit back,” Carney said.

Carney is doing what many other American allies have so far avoided: risking economic pain rather than yielding to tariff pressure.

For Carney, the showdown is the clearest test yet of his argument that middle powers must stand up to economic pressure from great powers such as the United States and China, even when it comes at a cost. Canada’s response could show how countries navigate a world in which long-standing alliances offer less protection and economic ties themselves become sources of leverage.

It could also shape how Carney is viewed at home and abroad, and how other U.S. allies respond to the Republican president.

The trade dispute also has become a test of sovereignty.

Carney said Washington introduced language in the final hours of negotiations that would have restricted Canada’s ability to make trade deals with other countries. He said that demand was “unacceptable” and “a question of sovereignty.”

British Columbia Premier David Eby said accepting such a condition would have reduced Canada “to the economic equivalent of the 51st state” — a status Trump has mused about often.

Canada becomes a test case for the world Carney warned about

Carney’s message resonated in January when he addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as Europe braced for Trump’s threats over Greenland and new tariffs.

Carney said the international order was undergoing “a rupture, not a transition.” He argued that sovereignty would depend increasingly on a country’s ability to “withstand pressure” and warned that middle powers negotiating alone with great powers do so from weakness.

Trump responded a day later by stressing Canada’s dependence on the United States. “ Canada lives because of the United States,” he said. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”

The president has repeatedly talked about making Canada the 51st U.S. state and dismissed the allies’ border as artificial. On Sunday, Trump returned to that theme, writing on Truth Social that “Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!” and accusing Canada of charging U.S. farmers “massive amounts” of tariffs for years. “No more!!!” he wrote.

In case you missed it, Ezri Konsa joined Arsenal this week, completing a £55m move from Aston Villa.

Sporting Director, Andrea Berta said: “We’re delighted to have completed the signing of Ezri Konsa. Ezri is a defender of high quality, whose athleticism, composure and tactical intelligence have established him as one of the Premier League’s most consistent performers.

“Being comfortable in both central defence and at right-back, Ezri will bring valuable versatility to our squad while maintaining the high defensive standards which are fundamental to our challenge of winning major trophies.

“We are welcoming a player with proven Premier League and international experience, and strong leadership qualities, who will adapt seamlessly to our style of play. Just as importantly, we are welcoming a player with the character and mentality to make an immediate impact within our club. We welcome Ezri and his family to Arsenal.”

Konsa wasn’t available for Arsenal’s opening game against Coventry City but is expected to be in contention to face his former club on Monday, August 31.

He will wear the number 15 shirt.