'You have torn our family apart': Mother's anger towards Leeds dad who allowed their son to die on the M62

Matthew Rycroft was jailed for 10 years today for the manslaughter of his son, Callum, who was killed on the busy motorway in August. Having drunk pints of beer and shots of spirits, “slurring” 37-year-old Rycroft got behind the wheel with 12-year-old Callum as his passenger.

They crashed at the Hartshead Moor services, and to evade arrest from his drink driving, Rycroft forced his son to walk along the M62, where he was struck by a passing motorist. He died instantly and callous Rycroft walke3d away and hid in a bush.

In a statement from Callum’s mum, Claire Bancroft, read out by prosecutor Michael Smith, he said she had been left “utterly shattered” by Callum’s senseless death.

She said: "Callum worshipped the ground he (Matthew) walked on. Without Callum it’s so quiet. He was so happy in his little life. He was so special to us. We just can’t believe he has gone.

"He could have achieved anything. He was always trying to build things and fix things – he was a little engineer in the making. He would laugh out loud at YouTube and pretend to make videos himself, he had such a big laugh.

“Callum like any other child should have had the opportunity to grow up and go to college. He was only 12, he had his whole life ahead of him. I saw a bright future for Callum, I just know he could have achieved anything, and I am certain he would have got a good job, he would have been so good with anything practical.

"Callum loved being at school and his teachers were very fond of him. He had such an impact on everyone who met him. This is apparent in the cards I have received since Callum died.

"Callum had his own bedroom at home, his room is exactly how he left it, I used to tuck him in every night. Now I go into his room every night wishing I could still kiss him goodnight and

tuck him in.

"Matt has torn the family apart, he has hurt a lot of people, but mostly he has let Callum down, all because of his selfishness. Words can’t describe what has happened to my family. Callum is the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night.

“Callum was with Matt someone he trusted the most, someone who should have kept him safe and brought him home.”

In a statement from Callum’s grandmother, Susan Hinchcliffe, also read out by Mr Smith and directed towards Matthew Rycroft, she said: “You have taken away a very special boy who meant the world to us. How you could do what you did. He did not deserve to die the way he did.

"He was let down by the person he adored and trusted.”

The court heard that Callum was diagnosed with spina bifida as a youngster, and had autism, so attended a school to cater for his needs.