Mum wins compensation after son's motorway death

The mother of a 12-year-old boy killed on the M62 has won a legal challenge after being refused funding for counselling and his funeral costs.

Callum Rycroft died while he and his father Matthew Rycroft crossed the M62 in West Yorkshire after the 37-year-old crashed their car on 5 August 2023.

His mother, Claire Bancroft, was twice denied funding by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), which argued her son's death was not violent, before she won an appeal.

Ms Bancroft said her focus was now on "trying to repair our family as much as I can".

Rycroft was jailed for 10 years in November 2023 after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

A court heard he had been drinking throughout the day his son died and ignored pleas from his parents not to drive home from Huddersfield to Leeds.

Just over half an hour after setting off, Rycroft crashed on a slip road near Hartshead Moor.

Callum called his mother to tell her about the crash and said his father had told him to run down the motorway.

The pair walked for around 15 minutes as cars passed them at 70mph.

They then crossed to the central reservation, where they walked for about a minute before attempting to cross back.

Callum, who had no speed awareness due to his autism, was struck by a car. He died at the scene.

Rycroft carried on walking without his son.

“It remains almost impossible to find the words to describe the anger, hurt and pain our family feel over his death," said Ms Bancroft, who separated from her husband following Callum’s death.

“When Callum left home that day I never thought for a moment that he wouldn’t return home.

"It was only because of the selfish actions and behaviour of his dad that he didn’t."

Ms Bancroft, from Leeds, said her son was a "lovely boy with his entire future ahead of him".

"My heart breaks when I think about how scared and frightened he must have been in those final moments.

“Our family will never be the same again without Callum. We all adored him and his death has left a huge void in our lives that we’ll never be able to replace."

Ms Bancroft said the original decision by the CICA, which pays compensation to people physically or mentally injured because of a violent crime in England, Scotland or Wales, "added to the tremendous pain we wake with each day".

The government body argued she was not eligible for compensation because the nature of her son's death was not violent.

However, Ms Bancroft's solicitor Sarah Brumpton said Callum "hadn’t found himself in the middle of a busy motorway by choice".

"He had been shouted and sworn at and manhandled," she said.

He was forced to walk up the motorway and in phone calls to his grandparents, mother and police, Callum could be heard telling his father to get off him.

Ms Bancroft won her appeal at a criminal injuries compensation tribunal hearing on 28 October.

Ms Brumpton said: “What happened was violent in its very nature and we’re pleased that the tribunal recognised this."

The appeal also led to a change in how the CICA defined a violent crime, which Ms Brumpton said would "hopefully prevent other families having to experience further heartache as Claire did".

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said their thoughts “remain with the friends and family of Callum Rycroft".

“We recognise that payment can never fully compensate for the injuries suffered but it can often help brave survivors move on with their lives.”

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