Man in court over A1 death crash

The family had been on their way to see relatives

A 22-year-old man has appeared in court charged with four counts of causing death by dangerous driving after family died in a crash in North Yorkshire.

Paula Gilbert, 29, her partner Neil Jex, 37, and sons Tristan, three, and Kaiden, seven months, from Hebburn, all died on the A1 near Catterick in March.

The only survivor was Macauley Gilbert, eight, from South Tyneside.

Northallerton magistrates bailed Scott Easton, of Hebburn Road, Stockton, to appear at Teesside Crown Court in June.

Mr Easton is due to make his first appearance before a crown court judge on 8 June.

The dead family's Citroen Saxo is thought to have left the road and crashed into a tree on a stretch of the A1 trunk road southbound, between the junctions for Catterick and Leeming.

They were heading from their home in Bridlington Parade, Hebburn, South Tyneside, to the Blackburn area of Lancashire to see relatives when the crash happened.

Trust fund

Air ambulance crews dubbed Macauley the "miracle boy" and set up a special website to receive donations, which has collected more than £24,000.

The money raised will now be put into a trust fund to help Macauley when he is older.

Macauley was treated for two broken legs and a broken wrist at Middlesbrough's James Cook Hospital.

He was later transferred to Sunderland Royal Hospital and discharged at the end of March.