Driver of car that hit 12-year-old Leeds boy trying to cross M62 to stand trial

Callum Rycroft, 12, was hit by a car while attempting to run across the motorway at night while following his father Matthew, who had drunkenly crashed the car they were in and attempted to flee the scene on foot.

Matthew Rycroft was jailed for 10 years last November for the manslaughter of his son.

Now the driver of the car that hit Callum, Shahid Ilyas, has been charged with driving a Toyota C-HR dangerously on the M62 and Whitehall Road, Cleckheaton on August 5 last year.

He is also accused of failing to stop after a road accident and failing to report that accident.

Ilyas, 48, of Moorfield Chase, Farnworth, Bolton, has pleaded not guilty to the three charges.

On Tuesday Judge Sophie McKone set a trial date of October 10 at Bradford Crown Court.

Harry Crowson, defending Ilyas, told the court: “He says he couldn’t stop on the motorway. He stopped at the first place that seemed safe to him.”

Callum was hit by a car while attempting to cross between junctions 25 and 26 of the M62 at about 9.50pm on August 5.

Sign up for our free newsletters now

Leeds Crown Court heard Rycroft was driving drunk on the motorway on August 5 when he collided with a barrier and then overturned his Audi Q5 on the slip road to Hartshead Moor services, near Huddersfield.

The Crown Prosecution Service said Callum had no speed awareness due to his autism and “should have been under the protection of his father”, who instead ran across the motorway and did not look back for his son who had been struck while trying to run with him.