'Broken' man who hit Callum Rycroft NOT guilty of dangerous driving in M62 tragedy

Callum Rycroft, 12, who died after he was hit by a car on the M62
-Credit: (Image: West Yorkshire Police)


A man has been found not guilty of dangerous driving after hitting and killing Callum Rycroft as he crossed the M62.

After just one hour and 14 minutes, jurors returned a not guilty verdict in the trial of Shahid Ilyas, 48, at Bradford Crown Court. Jurors were previously told Mr Ilyas, of Moorfield Chase, Farnworth, Bolton, hit Callum as he crossed the major motorway on August 5 last year.

Callum's dad, Matthew, has previously been jailed for his son's manslaughter. Rycroft had been driving drunk and overturned his Audi Q5 on the slip road to Hartshead Moor services, near Huddersfield. The two left the vehicle and were seen on CCTV walking along the busy M62 in the dark before crossing into the central reservation.

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At one point, Rycroft was seen falling over and being helped up by Callum. Rycroft then crossed back over to the hard shoulder and was followed by Callum, who ran directly into the path of Mr Ilyas' Toyota. Rycroft made it to the other side and carried on without looking back for his son.

As he gave evidence to the court on Friday, Mr Ilyas described himself as a "broken man".

Jurors had heard how he drove for two-and-a-half miles before stopping at an Esso service station in Bradford. He said: “I went left, left and left again and I reached a service station which was probably three or four minutes from the motorway... In a state of shock and a state of trauma I went to go to a service station... I do not remember looking for a layby, or bus stop or people’s driveway to stop.”

Callum Rycroft
Callum Rycroft -Credit:West Yorkshire Police

Asked about the state of his shattered windscreen, Mr Ilyas said: “I had enough view to see where I was going.”

He told the court that he rang the company which hired him the car when he reached the garage and admitted he told them that he thought he had hit an animal. He said that he did not know what he had hit and he was guessing, thinking something may have fallen off a truck.

In his evidence, Mr Ilyas said he only realised what had actually happened the next day when stories about Callum’s death appeared in the news. The court heard how Mr Ilyas then contacted a solicitor for advice who rang the police on his behalf. He said he had not been able to drive since the incident due to the trauma.

After the verdicts were returned on Friday, Her Honour Judge Watson said: "You have been acquitted by this jury of the one count on the indictment and you are free to leave the dock."