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Story perspectives

12 Arrested After Cloned Plates Linked to Fatal A66 Crash

8/25/2026

32 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough were killed when a Volkswagen Passat struck their vehicle on the A66.
The victims were Michael Robert Cahill, Jacob Matusiak, Makai Saddington, Cole Robert Worthy and Theo Rae.
Cleveland Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct launched investigations into the collision.
Twelve people aged 19-61 were arrested after the Passat and a linked Volvo XC60 were found using cloned plates.

History

Historical Context

The UK Parliament’s Road Safety Act 1995 established the National Vehicle Crime Database and tightened vehicle-registration rules, building on earlier reforms such as the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the 1991 amendment of fixed penalties. Those measures aimed to curb registration fraud, a problem echoed today in the Cleveland Police and IOPC investigation of a cloned-plate collision involving a Volkswagen Passat and Volvo XC60.

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Story summary

PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough were killed when a Volkswagen Passat struck their vehicle on the A66.
The victims were Michael Robert Cahill, Jacob Matusiak, Makai Saddington, Cole Robert Worthy and Theo Rae.
Cleveland Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct launched investigations into the collision.
Twelve people aged 19-61 were arrested after the Passat and a linked Volvo XC60 were found using cloned plates.

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