Young motorist charged with killing husband and wife in head-on smash

A 23-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the death of a husband and wife in a head-on crash in Ackworth.
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Paul and Susan Gossedge were passengers in a taxi that collided with an oncoming car in 2019.

Thomas Robert Coyles, of Dulverton Rise, Pontefract, is charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

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He is also facing two charges of causing serious injury to a male and a female through dangerous driving.

The scene on Castle Syke Hill in the days after the smash.The scene on Castle Syke Hill in the days after the smash.
The scene on Castle Syke Hill in the days after the smash.

He appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court on October 20 where his case was committed to the crown court.

He is due to appear at Leeds Crown Court on November 17. No pleas have been entered at this stage.

He was given unconditional bail.

A Honda Civic collided with the taxi containing Mr and Mrs Gossedge on Castle Syke Hill between Ackworth and Pontefract on the evening of Friday, June 28, 2019.

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Mrs Gossedge, 69, who was a retired teacher, was a rear-seat passenger in the taxi and died at the scene.

Floral tributes were left at the scene of the crash, which happened next to a layby just north of the junction with Sandy Gate Lane.

The taxi, a Toyota Prius, was heading towards Ackworth with the other vehicle travelling towards Pontefract.

The 45-year-old driver of the taxi was also seriously injured in the smash as was a 16-year-old female in the Honda Civic.